KATHMANDU: Indian automaker Ashok Leyland has consolidated its light, medium and heavy commercial vehicle (CV) businesses under a single leadership structure as it looks to strengthen its position against Tata Motors in India’s commercial vehicle market, according to Autocar India.
The Hinduja Group-owned company has brought its medium and heavy commercial vehicle (MHCV), light commercial vehicle (LCV) and power solutions businesses under the expanded responsibility of its new Chief Marketing Officer, Sanjeev Kumar.
The move aims to create a unified commercial vehicle business and help Ashok Leyland compete with Tata Motors across a wider range of vehicle segments, from sub-2-tonne vehicles to 55-tonne trucks.
India’s commercial vehicle market has been gaining momentum, supported by infrastructure spending, GST reductions and shorter fleet replacement cycles. Domestic MHCV volumes increased 26% in the first half of FY2027, while LCV sales grew 20%. Ashok Leyland’s volumes also increased 48% year-on-year over the past two months.
Ashok Leyland is the world’s ninth-largest truck manufacturer, with annual revenue of around USD 5.3 billion. The company aims to establish itself among the world’s top 10 commercial vehicle manufacturers by volume. It sees the LCV segment as a major growth opportunity, as its volumes are around 2.5 to three times higher than those of heavy vehicles.
India’s retail commercial vehicle market recorded sales of 10.6 lakh units in FY2026. Tata Motors led the market with a 36.2% share, followed by Mahindra & Mahindra at 28.1% and Ashok Leyland at 18%.
While Ashok Leyland holds a 30.9% share of the MHCV segment, Mahindra maintains the second position in the overall market through its strong presence in pickups and small commercial vehicles.
Ashok Leyland currently holds around 25% of the LCV market, with its traditional strength in the 2-tonne to 4-tonne category. The company is now expanding its reach through models such as the Saathi mini-truck and Bada Dost mid-sized LCV, along with bi-fuel variants.
The company has also revived its heavy-duty haulage portfolio to target demand from the mining, steel, cement and wind-turbine transportation sectors. Its 46-tonne rigid-axle truck is expected to offer an advantage over conventional 42-tonne models.
The company has four manufacturing facilities with around 20% additional production capacity. Its immediate priority is to address supply constraints and convert its growing order book into higher market share.
The move comes as Tata Motors is also expanding its global commercial vehicle business following its acquisition of Italian manufacturer Iveco.
