The Hindustan Ambassador is one of the oldest cars in India, launched way back in 1948. The vehicle has seen little changes over the years, resulting in demand dwindling and the company going in the red. In a last ditch effort to revive sales of the highly outdated Ambassador, Hindustan Motors plans to launch a sub 4-metre version of the car. The Ambassador Compact Sedan will benefit from lower excise duty of just 12%, which will give it a significant price advantage.
Powering the Ambassador Compact Sedan will be a 1.5-litre diesel engine, sourced from Isuzu. This diesel engine is not going to scorch the tarmac but is reasonably frugal. The wheelbase of the sub 4-metre Ambassador will remain the same as that of the regular Ambassador. Thus the fantastic interior space will remain intact in the sub 4-metre car. However the boot will be smaller, offering lesser storage space, which shouldn’t be much of a bother to the prospective customers.
The Ambassador is based on the Morris Oxford and has seen quite a few changes over time. What has still not changed though is the design, which remains retro. However HM has not been able to keep up with technology and many would prefer to opt for a small hatchback than get the Ambassador, which occupies more space and is not as easy to manuever as a small car. 2013 definitely seems to be the year of sub 4-metre vehicles; Ford EcoSport, Honda Amaze, Mahindra Verito CS, Tata Manza CS and the Ambassador CS are all coming in a few months time.