Many say that the Amby is to Indians what the iconic Volkswagen Beetle is to Germans. But the similarity ends there. Because the Europe’s largest car manufacturer has painstakingly resurrected the original ‘People’s Car’, making it one of the most popular small cars ever made, the Amby has had a neglected past.
The biggest problem is while the Indian auto market has changed completely, HM has remained in the past for far too long, giving almost a free run to newer models from nimble-footed competitors. Now the sources in the web reveal, the oldest face of Indian automobiles is set to get a radical makeover with a new design and styling.
A revamped version of Amby is speculated o come featured with a range of styling and safety features including Antilock Braking System (ABS), electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), multiple airbags, newly designed steering wheel and leather seats with wood grain. The car is expected to be powered by a 1.8-litre Petrol engine and a 1.5-litre diesel engine that will be compatible with BS4 emission norms.
In addition to this, the company also plans to launch a sub-4-metre version of Ambassador, popularly known as Ambassador CS (Compact Sedan) at the moment. The Amby CS comes with a chopped-off trunk to fit itself into our small car segment to avail 10% excise duty benefit. This will help the company in reducing the price of the car considerably, enabling it to compete more promptly with the new age rivals of the car.
Apart from the design changes, the Amby CS is also expected to sport a re-tuned version of the existing 1.5-litre diesel engine, which generates a maximum power of 35.5 bhp with a maximum torque of 74 nm. If you really think we are joking, the shortened Amby has been spotted earlier by the AutoCarIndia paper magazine in May-2011.
Hindustan Motors had earlier changed this car in 2004 in the form of Avigo to recollect the Mini and Porsche. But the move failed to reap in rewards and this is the final attempt from HM to revitalize the once popular model from it.
(Note – Modified HM Ambassador images used as an illustration, the actual model differs from the car shown above.)
Also see – New Ambassador CS big launch by Hindustan Motors for 2012
