Ashok Leyland has unveiled plans to develop a new-range truck platform, christened Unitruck, which will roll out from 2010.

Owing to its intrinsic modularity, this new range of on and off-highway platform can create variants to meet different geographies, road/load conditions, different applications and legislative requirements.

The program also involves the incorporation of a new family of 6 cylinder inline engines code named 'Neptune' of modular capacity from 4.7 litre to 8 litre – BS3 and BS4 / Euro IV compliant and protected for Euro-V, with cooled EGR and SCR options. Quieter, stronger and more reliable by design, higher power and torque with better fuel efficiency are other highlights of this range.

The drive train will feature a range of gear boxes, with cost effective automatic/ automated manual transmission as options on some models. Coupled with rear axles of a wide range of ratios, they can be optimised for performance and fuel efficiency to suit different duty cycles.

The Unitruck range will feature the Newgen cab initially, before a next generation of modular cabs takes its place. The modular cabs will come in multiple options of widths, heights, lengths and feature levels.

The weight-optimised frame assemblies are entirely modular and can cater to all model variants, offering extreme flexibility to accommodate aggregate options.

The Unitruck will form the base for offering fully-built, ready-to-use trucks. An unprecedented level of electronics will manage the vital aggregates, for easy diagnostics, improved operating efficiency and fleet management.

"The Unitruck range reflects our global ambitions. With higher power-to-weight ratio, superior cab ergonomics and trim, the trucks will conform to European standards, and spearhead our entry into developed markets, with competitive advantages in costs. It will also answer evolving needs of the domestic market as they gallop towards international benchmarks, thanks to the rapid infrastructural development." said R Seshasayee, MD, Ashok Leyland.