It’s carried and shepherded bureaucratic babus, tourists and whole families all over the country for over five decades, in process becoming a national icon. Now after being declared the world’s best taxi by BBC’s Top Gear during the course of their 20th season, the Hindustan Ambassador is set to be re-launched in a new avatar and design next year in a bid to carry forward a rich legacy of motoring to the next generation of drivers.
The company has confirmed that it will launch a newer version of the car next year. It will be based on the same platform as its curvy predecessor but will have a new design and most importantly it will be a more compact version of the car below four metres to attract lower tax duties.
Uttam Bose, CEO Hindustan Motors, has confirmed that the car will be launched next March and will have the name Ambassador but with a prefix of some kind which he obviously chose not to reveal. While there is hope that the prefix will be the Landmaster, after the original compact Amby, it is likely to be something more modern and catchy.
We expect the new car to be offered only with one diesel engine; a 1.5-litre engine derived from the Isuzu sourced 1.8-litre oil burner to fit the requirements of the lower excise duty. The engine will be mated to a five-speed manual.
While the compact Amby will cater to a burgeoning new class of buyers in the cities and other urban areas, the larger full size Ambassador will cater to rural and semi urban areas where it has found or rather still retains popularity due to its image of being a luxurious aspiration. Bose also confirmed that HM will soon start exporting the Ambassador to Bangladesh and has already begun exports to Nigeria.
Source: TimesOfIndia
