You read it first on MotorBeam. Hindustan Motors is planning a comeback in the Indian market after seeing it sales fall almost to the ground. For the record, the Indian automaker sold 0 units last month and from its JV with Mitsubishi, the only car to be sold in the past few months has been the Pajero Sport. Not a very good sign for a company which was once enjoying monopoly market share in the domestic market. Hindustan Motors has also gone to BIFR (Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction) which is akin to sickness.
In a bid to get into the green, Hindustan Motors is planning to launch a compact sedan version of the Ambassador. The vehicle which ideally should be sitting in the museum is still on sale in India and falls pale in comparison to modern alternatives from both Indian and foreign MNCs. Despite all this, Hindustan Motors remains optimistic that it can make the Ambassador Compact work in the Indian scenario. With lesser duties to pay, the Amby CS should be priced more aggressively and who knows, could do decent numbers.
Set for an unveil at the 2014 Auto Expo, the Ambassador compact sedan will go on sale in the first half of 2014. Since the car is ducking under the 4-metre mark, it needs smaller engines and currently HM only has a 1.5-litre diesel powerplant in its arsenal which produces a paltry 49 BHP of power and 112.5 Nm of torque. Thus the company plans to source a more powerful diesel engine and the supplier of choice is none other than Fiat. Yes, HM is in talks with Fiat for supply of 1.3-litre Multijet diesel engines for the Ambassador CS which will output 75 BHP and 190 Nm. Expect the vehicle to positioned against modern hatchbacks.
