Ashok Leyland unveils Captain truck range

Ashok Leyland has unveiled its new heavy commercial vehicle range called Captain. Internally called the N-Truck range, the Captain series will replace the underperforming U-Truck range that was launched in 2010.

The first model in the series is the 2523 Tipper used for mining applications. As with all new trucks launched in the recent past, the focus on driver comfort is increasing and the Captain series is no different. Large comfortable seats with multi-level adjustments, a steering that can be adjusted for rake, air-conditioning, music system and a driver centric dashboard are some of the creature comforts in the Captain’s cabin. The cabs will be factory made at Ashok Leyland’s Pantnagar plant in Uttarakhand.

At the launch event, Vinod Dasari, MD Ashok Leyland said, “As against adapting an existing cabin design, we have designed and developed a new cabin family in-house that is specifically suited to customer needs.”  

The Captain will be manufactured for the Tipper, Tractor and Haulage segments with a Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) of 16 tonnes to 49 tonnes. The series will be powered by common rail diesel engines with different outputs ranging from 160 HP to 360 HP. The Tipper series will have a maximum haulage of 31 tonnes GVW and will also be available in 16 and 25 tonne GVW. The new series also has self-diagnostic capability for most on-road niggles.

In addition to the Captain, the company is also going to launch its Boss ICV (Intermediate Commercial Vehicle) at various locations around the country in the coming weeks leading to the Indian Auto Expo. Their next stop is Pune on 8 January. The Captain range along with other products from the Ashok Leyland stable will be showcased at the Auto Expo.