Riot Engine spotted these Avia trucks being tested around the Ambattur Industrial Estate in Chennai. This isn’t the first instance of the Avia trucks being caught out in the wild, but this is the first we’ve seen the Avia without any camouflage.
The distinctly different front bumper on these localized Avia trucks deserves a mention, while the rest of the truck remains the same.
Avia is a Czech manufacturer whose trucks mostly fall into the middle weight category with GVWs ranging between 5.99 to 12 tonnes. The Avia range consists of the D75,D90 and the D120. The trucks are essentially the same with identical engine options, the difference is in the wheelbase and the load carrying capacity. There is of course the 4×4 variant of the D120 which is available only with the 185/207bhp engines. The transfer box is a Praga 2P150, with road and off-road gears and off-road gear reduction with permanent power distribution 50:50 between both driven axles.
Engine options for the Avia trucks include three variants of the Cummins ISBe4.5E5-series engine. Available in the tune of 160, 185 and 207 bhp, the Cummins engines use Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) with the AdBlue liquid injection and meet Euro 5 standards. Manual 6-speed, fully synchromesh ZF6S850 gearbox takes care of the transmission duties.
Avia also made an announcement on the 17th of June 2013 that production at the Letnany plant in Prague will cease as of 31 July, 2013. Avia and Ashok Leyland will continue to provide aftermarket support for warranty and spare parts to all its customers. The announcement also includes the statement that future products would be made available from other manufacturing sites of Ashok Leyland as and when the economic situation improves. At this moment we know that Ashok Leyland intends to manufacture the Avia trucks at their Pantnagar plant.
It has been rumoured for long that Ashok Leyland will be launching the Avia in July, which seems about right considering the Czech plant will be shutdown towards the end of the month. However, we’re past the half way mark of this month, and Ashok Leyland is barely running its existing production line at the Chennai plant thanks to the economic slowdown and we wouldn’t be surprised if the launch is postponed.