Ashok Leyland, a flagship company of the Hinduja Group and the country's second-largest commercial vehicle manufacturer, said on Tuesday it has become the first lndian original equipment manufacturer to meet the Bharat Stage VI emission norms across its full range of heavy-duty trucks with gross vehicle weight of 16.2 tonnes and above.
Company's Chief Technology Officer N Saravanan received the certificates confirming compliance to BS-VI emission standard from the Automotive Research Association of lndia (ARAI), an autonomous body affiliated to the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises.
"This achievement of meeting the BS-VI emission standard across our heavy vehicle range further reinforces our position as technology leaders," said Ashok Leyland's Chairman Dheeraj Hinduja.
"Compliance in the light commercial vehicle and intermediate commercial vehicle ranges will be completed shortly. We will offer a comprehensive range from 70 hp to 360 hp in BS-VI application," he said in a statement.
The Supreme Court has ruled that no BS-IV vehicle will be sold across the country with effect from April 1, 2020. Instead, the BS-VI emission norm will come into force across the country.
The major difference between the existing BS-IV and forthcoming BS-VI norms is the presence of sulphur in the fuel. These emission standards were set by the government to keep a check on the pollutant levels emitted by vehicles that use combustion engines.
Ashok Leyland's Chief Technology Officer N Saravanan said the company was the first lndian manufacturer to showcase a Euro-VI truck during the Auto Expo 2016 in New Delhi.
"We have developed an entire new modular vehicle platform for this range and are confident of meeting the increasingly dynamic customer requirements with multiple options of loading spans, cabins, suspensions and drivetrains. These combinations will be offered to customers through a custom-built product configurator," he said.
