Until the late 1980s, the Indian Tata and Ashok Leyland buses were mainly used in Sri Lanka. The latter are the heirs of the famous British brand Leyland Bus, which was merged with British Motor Holdings in 1968 to form the British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC). At the same time, the rights to use the Leyland brand were bought by the Indian concern Ashok. In 1975, British Leyland Motor Corporation was nationalized and renamed British Leyland. In 1982, the government of Sri Lanka, in order to create new jobs for the population and for additional revenues to the country's budget (and certainly for its own enrichment), signed a cooperation agreement with Ashok Leyland. This is how the Sri Lankan-Indian enterprise Lanka Ashok Leyland was founded with headquarters in Colombo and an assembly plant in its suburb - Malaba. The new company became owned in half by the state and Ashok Leyland Ltd, India. In Sri Lanka, the production of small trucks and special equipment began.

Lanka Ashok Leyland Viking buses are available in several lengths and cabin modifications. The number of seats (depending on the version) can be 42, 49, 52, 54 and 58. The seats are usually arranged in a 2x2 pattern, when double seats are installed on the left and right. It happens that the passenger seats are arranged in a 3x2 pattern, when there is an additional section on one side. This solution is used on long-haul buses. The number of seats for standing passengers in all variants, especially on popular routes and during rush hours, is not limited.

The exterior of the car is solid. It is especially pleasant to look at the new items shining with fresh paint and varnish. There is no obvious cheapness in the poor understanding of this word. The image contains both the familiar features of the LiAZ-677 bus and the ZIU-9 trolleybus, as well as details that remind us of the influence of the American school of automotive design on the developers of this technique. The front part is somewhat similar to the American GMC Fishbowl bus made in the 1970s. And the doors, windows and the shape of the passenger compartment are very reminiscent of American school buses from the 1960s and 1990s, regardless of make and model.

The engine is diesel, 6-cylinder turbocharged and intercooled at the front. The volume is almost 5 liters. Power - 160 horsepower. Access to the engine compartment is carried out from the passenger compartment from the driver's seat. Transmission - 5-speed manual with synchronizers for all gears. Rear-wheel drive. The main gear is a cardan shaft. The brakes are ventilated. The steering has been equipped with a hydraulic booster only since the 2000s. Before that, when maneuvering, drivers had to pretty much strain their arm muscles. And now we have to. It may sound surprising, but these buses have a heater. In the central mountainous regions of Sri Lanka, temperatures can go to zero at night.

Traction, frankly, is weak. When driving, you get the impression that you are driving a gasoline bus, and not a diesel one. The reason is the small engine size. The turbine compensates for the lack of power. But after acceleration, the turbocharging helps maintain the speed at high revs.

Lanka Ashok Leyland's advertising annotation for the buses it produces says that they help to save money for the owner of the equipment, as well as not less than the prosperity of the country and friendliness to the environment.