Chennai, Sep 3 (IANS): Commercial vehicles major Ashok Leyland Ltd on Tuesday claimed that it is the first Indian original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to meet the BS-VI emission norms for all its heavy duty trucks.

In a statement issued here, the company said its full range of heavy duty trucks -- Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) 16.2 ton and above -- are complying with the BS-VI emission norms.

The company's Chief Technology Officer N. Saravanan received the certificate on August 29, confirming the compliance with BS-VI emission standard from the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI).

From April 1, 2020, onwards all vehicles have to comply with the BS-VI emission norms.

"Ashok Leyland has always been a pioneer in the introduction of new technology in the commercial vehicle industry and this achievement of meeting the BS-VI emission standard across our heavy vehicle range further reinforces our position as technology leaders," Dheeraj Hinduja, Chairman, was quoted as saying in the statement.

"Compliance in the LCV (light commercial vehicle) and ICV (intermediate commercial vehicle) range will be completed shortly and we will offer a comprehensive range from 70 hp to 360 hp in BS VI application," Hinduja added.