Tracing Back Amby's Roots

Hindustan Motors (HM) has been manufacturing the Ambassador

, popularly called Amby, for over 56 years now and the car is mostly used as a taxi or government vehicle. HM has come up with a growth strategy and is all set to roll out the BS-IV compliant LPG variant of the car in Kolkata and later across the country. The all new BS IV compliant Ambassador would retain the exterior vintage looks but on the inside the car would have latest technology in terms of engine power and fuel efficiency taking the cost up by 15-20 per cent.

Historic knick knacks

The Amby has stood the test of time very bravely, with very few changes to the overall look and specifications of the car. The Hindustan Ambassador manufactured by Hindustan Motors since 1958 is based on the Morris Oxford III model first made by the Morris Motor Company at Cowley, Oxford in the United Kingdom from 1956 to 1959. In 1958 the car was renamed the Ambassador and series-production started. The tooling of the British Morris Oxford Series III was transferred to India in the year 1957.

To change the Morris Oxford series II (Landmaster) to Morris Oxford series III (Ambassador) HM made several changes like deep headlamp cowls, small rear wing tail fins, redesigned dashboard and steering wheel and a new dimpled hood. The models were named Ambassador, Mark II, Mark III, Mark IV, etc. The closely chequered grille came in 1960s for the Ambassador Mark II. After this the Mark III came in 1975 and flaunted a much bigger frontal facelift and the Mark series came to an end with Mark IV beyond which came the Ambassador Nova.

The year 1992 saw the incoming of Ambassador 1800 ISZ that came with a 75bhp 1800 cc Isuzu engine and a 5 speed gearbox. The Ambassador had bucket seats, a redesigned dashboard with the instrument panel to the right and seat belts. The next generation Ambassador was called Ambassador Classic and had features like a redesigned dashboard, polyurethane seats, pull type door handles and the steering column gear lever was replaced by floor shift gears.

The recent Ambassador models underwent lots of changes since mid 2003. The mid-2003 Ambassador Classic, Ambassador Grand of late-2003 and Avigo designed by Manvindra Singh came to the showrooms. The front and bonnet of these models is like the original Landmaster series while the rear remains untouched. Features like the centrally mounted console, beige coloured seats and wood-grain interiors make the Amby a better car.

Some revamp suggestions

However, what could make this built-like-a-tank car more acceptable in the current market are a few changes that could bring this Rs 5 lakh car at par with competition. To begin with HM can think of adding some segment standard features like a climate control unit and a set of 16 inch alloy wheels. Redesigning the car yet retaining the vintage look by making subtle changes to the headlamps, grille, doors, roof and rear can help make it popular in the market. Similarly, ABS with EBD and airbags would also be welcome. The gears should be made much more comfortable to operate and apt for a big car keeping the fuel efficiency in mind.

This would indeed take up the cost dramatically. But a stronger dealer network and good redesigning of the Ambassador can place it directly in competition with the likes of Indigo Manza and Swift Dzire.

by: cardekho

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