On 7th October, 2013, Ashok Leyland, as per plans, launched a multi-purpose vehicle with a tag name Leyland Stile in the Indian automobile market. Customers will be able to avail this utility vehicle by paying a retail price that ranges between Rs.7.49 lakh and Rs. 9.29 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). Notably, Ashok Leyland had entered into a joint venture agreement with Nissan Motor Company in order to develop Stile. Leyland Stile will be produced at Nissan’s manufacturing plant at Oragadam in Tamil Nadu. Earlier, Nissan had launched Evalia with a price tag ranging between Rs. 8.70 lakh and 10.24 lakh.
V. Sumantran, Vice-Chairman, Ashok Leyland, at the time of Stile's launch excitedly said, “We are extremely delighted to launch the second product from the Ashok Leyland Nissan Joint Venture, which we believe will change the dynamics of Indian MPVs. With Stile our mission was clear - to deliver to the Indian customer a contemporary MPV with lots of space, contemporary styling, comfort features and most of all, class leading fuel efficiency. Stile is developed on a trusted and reliable vehicle platform that reflects our continued focus on offering Japanese technology and quality at Indian cost. With the Stile also in our portfolio, we are now better positioned to cater to a wider customer base and range of transportation needs.”
If price ranges of both utility vehicles are compared, then one will find that the base price of Stile is Rs.7.49 lakh while that of Evalia is Rs. 8.70 lakh. Similarly, top end variant of Stile has a retail price starting from Rs. 9.29 lakh while Evalia's top-end variant costs Rs. 10.24 lakh. Notably, the difference in base variant and top-end variant prices of Evalia and Stile are Rs. 1.21 lakh and Rs. 0.95 lakh, respectively, something that surely deserves consideration. If the prices of both these vehicles are put into perspective then Stile is seemingly more affordable than Evalia.
Nissan Evalia is powered by a 1461 cc K9k engine that is known to offer high performance, fuel efficiency and low Carbon Dioxide emissions. The engine, mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox, can deliver a maximum power output of 84 bhp at 3750 rpm and torque of up to 200 Nm at low 2000 rpm. Evalia, as the company claims, offers a mileage of up to 19.3 kmpl. On the other hand, Leyland Stile comes fitted with a 1.5-litre dCi common rail diesel powertrain that is also mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. This engine is able to generate up to 74 bhp of power and 185 Nm of torque. As company claims, the fuel efficiency offered by Stile is of up to 19.5 kmpl. Here, if one compares, Evalia scores marginally high on both, power and torque aspects while the mileage offered by two vehicles is almost the same.
Both, Nissan and Ashok Leyland are comparatively new to the Indian passenger car market. So, it would be interesting to see the journey of Evalia and Stile in the Indian automobile market in the near future. Notably, both vehicles are recent launches and thus, it would be quite early to decide which one will perform better.
