Ashok Leyland

Ashok Motors

Ashok Motors was founded in 1948 by Raghunandan Saran, an Indian freedom fighter from Punjab. After Independence, he was persuaded by India's first Prime Minister Nehru to invest in a modern industrial venture. Ashok Motors was incorporated in 1948 as a company to assemble and manufacture Austin cars from England, and the company was named after the founder's only son, Ashok Saran. The company had its headquarters in Chennai, with the manufacturing plant in Chennai. The company was engaged in the assembly and distribution of Austin A40 passenger cars in India.

The collaboration ended sometime in 1975 but the holding of British Leyland, now a major British auto conglomerate as a result of several mergers, agreed to assist in technology, which continued until the 1980s. After 1975, changes in management structures saw the company launch various vehicles in the Indian market, with many of these models continuing to this day with numerous upgrades over the years.

Under Iveco and Hinduja partnership

In 1987, the overseas holding by Land Rover Leyland International Holdings Limited was taken over by a joint venture between the Hinduja Group, the Non-Resident Indian transnational group and Iveco, part of the Fiat Group.

Hinduja Group

In 2007, the Hinduja Group also bought out Iveco's indirect stake in Ashok Leyland. The promoter shareholding now stands at 51%. Today the company is the flagship of the Hinduja Group, a British-based and Indian originated trans-national conglomerate.

Ashok Leyland launched India's first electric bus and Euro 6 compliant truck in 2016.In June 2020, Ashok Leyland launched its new range of modular trucks, AVTR.In September 2020, Ashok Leyland launched the Bada Dost based on its indigenously developed LCV platform called Phoenix.