Ashok Leyland to roll out Neptune engine this yr

Hinduja Group’s flagship company Ashok Leyland will roll out this year its much-awaited completely electronically governed Neptune engine, globally benchmarked for lower operating costs.

“(The launch will be) sometime this year. It is going through trials now,” Ashok Leyland Managing Director Vinod K Dasari said.

The Chennai-based company has completed over 3-lakh km of field trials of the engine, developed in-house, and the “market launch will happen sometime this year...We will look for the appropriate time...,” Dasari said. The state-of-the-art Neptune engine would feature in the company’s ‘U-Truck’ platform.

According to company officials, the low-friction and high torque Neptune engines offer lower operating costs, longer life and better comfort.

The engines developed with technical assistance from AVL — an Austrian powertrain and combustion expert design house. They range from 160 to 380 HP and are entirely CRS electronic.