01
Origins
The STiLE of 2013 was Ashok Leyland's attempt at the people-mover market: a multi-seat van built on the Nissan partnership's platform sharing, aimed at Indian taxi fleets, hotels and large families with commercial-grade running costs. The Chennai truck giant's badge promised durability; the segment, dominated by established players, proved indifferent, and production ended within a few years as the joint venture's priorities shifted. The STiLE remains a footnote in the company's vast commercial catalogue — evidence of India's truck makers periodically testing passenger niches, and of how hard the van market's incumbency is to dislodge even for a manufacturer that owns the nation's highways. The trucks, as ever in Chennai, remained the empire; the STiLE was a short holiday from it.
2013 Ashok Leyland STiLE · B Balaji · CC BY-SA 2.0
