AL Intercentury Luxura spotted in Chennai yet again

This is not the first time we are posting about the Intercentury Luxura, a bus conceived and developed by Ashok Leyland to compete with Volvo in the high-end intercity public transportation sector. We had a couple of posts earlier where we had mentioned that, for reasons unknown, this particular bus has never seen the light of the day except for a handful of models that were given to government and private operators for trials. But we received feedback from quite a few people stating that the Intercentury Luxura is indeed launched and is available in the market. To clarify the confusion, we spoke to no less than half a dozen people in the industry circles, a few of them even being employees of Ashok Leyland. While some replied that the bus is available and can be made to order, a few also said that they were only aware of trial runs done earlier (as we had originally posted) but nothing more.

With the confusion still running in the air, this spanking new milky-white Intercentury Luxura was seen parked in one of the suburbs of Chennai, sparking fresh rumors and speculations. Whether it is launched or not, what is more important is that Ashok Leyland is still testing some upgrades to its flagship and it is evident from the pictures. This is the closest Intercentury Luxura model that we have seen till date to a road-worthy model. While the earlier buses had bits and pieces hastily put together hinting that they could be proto models, this looked as if it can enter into service right from the word go. The design, fit and finish was good, albeit not in the league of Volvos. But then the price isn't going to be in the range of Volvos either. With its rear-engine configuration and standard air-conditioning, the Luxura has the basics covered and the globally-popular 'Intercentury' body doesn't look that bad in flesh either.

Whatever it is, it's our duty to bring this to the notice of our readers and we would extend a warm welcome to any good soul who might be able to clear the air on the Intercentury Luxura. With all due credits, Volvo has revolutionized and monopolized the high-end bus segment but competition is certainly a good thing to have, atleast from the perspective of passengers. And if it is going to be from Ashok Leyland, we would be more than happy. You might have noticed that we at Anything On Wheels share an almost super-natural relationship with the Chennai-based commercial vehicle manufacturer. Quite a few of their models like the U 4936 Tractor Trailer, the New-Gen Cab, a rear-engined bus and the Dost LCV were spotted testing by us every now and then, some of them being exclusive spy-shots. This, and the previous two posts on the Intercentury Luxura is only continuing that trend.