Ashok Leyland closes Avia truck factory
The Avia truck range will no longer be on offer in the UK after the Czech factory was closed in July by its parent Ashok Leyland of India. There is however a possibility that the UK may be supplied with the truck from a factory in India in the future: at the beginning of the year Ashok Leyland said it intended to produce the design in India for local markets.
Closure has come as a surprise to UK importer Longton Avia, and also to the Australian market where the truck had just been launched in a head-on challenge to Japanese manufacturers such as Isuzu. It also leaves British electric vehicle specialist Smith without a supplier of chassis-cabs for its Newton truck.
Longton Avia was set up in the Potteries last April to import the D Series truck, with 7.5, 9, and 12-tonne 4×2 variants available, together with a 12-tonne 4×4. The eventual aim was to build sales to a point where they would support UK assembly of the truck, and expand the range to include a multi-wheeler and an urban tractor unit.
The vehicle used a proven driveline including Cummins engines and ZF transmissions, while the cab and chassis design was carried over from an earlier Daewoo product that was designed in the Korean company’s one-time research facility in Worthing, Sussex. European proprietary steering and braking systems were also used, and the truck was quite similar to the best-selling DAF LF under the skin.
Longton Avia’s commercial director Jonathan Dale told Transport Operator: “We are waiting on a decision about ongoing production, but we are going to be out of the market for a while. We have been told by Ashok-Leyland that it will take up to nine months to decide the future of the truck, so we must wait and see what happens.
“This affects all of Europe, and we are going to look at the situation with the other importers, and are in contact with the Australians.
“We thought it was a winning product and had put a lot of work in, and sold nearly 20 trucks in the UK, so this is a severe setback.
“We are told that warranty and supplying spares to our existing customers will not be a problem, and in any case there are alternative sources available for most components.”
A brief statement from the parent company reads: “Due to the current global economic slowdown, Ashok Leyland Limited, the parent company of Avia Ashok Leyland Motors has decided to cease production activities at the Letnany plant in Prague as of 31 July, 2013.
“However, Avia and Ashok Leyland will continue to provide aftermarket support for warranty and spare parts to all its customers. Future products would be made available from other manufacturing sites of Ashok Leyland as and when the economic situation improves. Avia will also ensure that it fully meets all legal compliances.”
