Ashok Leyland ties up with Shriram Auto Mall to enter used vehicle business

Hinduja group flagship firm plans to use expertise in commercial vehicles to streamline market it is taking up.

Ashok Leyland (AL) said on Monday it’s entering the used vehicles business by tying up with Shriram Automall India Limited (SAMIL), a marketplace connecting pre-owned vehicles and equipment buyers and sellers.

The companies will launch a physical and digital platform for facilitating the exchange, disposal and purchase of old commercial vehicles. Ashok Leyland, the flagship company of the Hinduja group, aims to streamline the used vehicle market by leveraging its commercial vehicle digital ecosystem and partners for physical interactions in over 100 locations across India. The company aims to bring in more transparency into used vehicles business.

“With our aspirations to be an end-to-end mobility solutions provider, this partnership will help establish our presence in the pre-owned commercial vehicle segment. With our experience as one of the largest truck makers, this initiative will help to debottleneck the ecosystem through a consumer-centric digital solution which will serve as an easy-to-use touchpoint for our consumers," said Sanjay Saraswat, Head - medium and heavy commercial vehicles, Ashok Leyland. The company expects that the initiative will also help it in the implementation of the government’s vehicle scrappage policy.

The company said that through facilities like an exchange, disposal, hybrid, and special vehicle inspection, the platform aims to become the first choice amongst the customers considering an exchange of their vehicles. This will create an opportunity for Ashok Leyland to reach as many fleets and single truck owners across India, as possible, it said.

“It gives us immense pleasure to collaborate with Ashok Leyland to mark their entry into the used vehicle market. SAMIL is living on to the mission to bring innovative digital solutions to enhance the customer experience to the next level," said Sameer Malhotra, chief executive officer, Shriram Automall India.

"Through the OEMs expertise of the Commercial Vehicle segment and our Phygital auctions platforms which include over 100 Automall network strength spread across India, we aim to create all-inclusive mobility solutions for buyers and sellers,” he said.

Sanjeev Kumar, who is in charge of the sales and network of Ashok Leyland's MHCV business said, "We are glad to associate with Shriram Automall for the used vehicle market. Our knowledge of the commercial vehicle segment and Shriram’s existing customer base in the used-vehicle space, will together aim to create a larger ecosystem for customers."