Ashok Leyland Stile MPV launched at 7.50 lakh

The Stile will also feature a more efficient CNG variant. 

One of India’s leading commercial vehicle makers – Ashok Leyland has forayed into the passenger car segment today with the launch of the Stile MPV. Priced at Rs 7.50 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), the Stile is basically a rebadged version of the Nissan Evalia which has been around since September 2012. The MPV will be manufactured at Nissan's production facility at Oragadam in Tamil Nadu.   

Designed to cater to the needs of the passenger car segment, the seven-seater Stile is available in three trim levels and one engine option. The MPV is powered by the same 1.5-litre K9K diesel engine found in the Evalia however in the Stile; it has been detuned to produce 75PS of power and around 185Nm of torque. Like the Evalia, the engine is paired with a 5-speed manual gearbox which sends power to the front wheels.

Priced at Rs 7.50 lakh, Ashok Leyland has pitted the Stile against the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga which starts at 7.87 lakh and the less expensive Chevrolet Enjoy with a base price of 6.85 lakh. Compared to the Nissan Evalia (Rs 8.70 lakh) on which it’s based, the Stile makes for a sensible buy given that the latter costs significantly less however, the Stile seems too utilitarian for urban environment especially in the company of the Ertiga which undoubtedly is a much more modern alternative.