[KMohanan]

Originally Posted by vikrantj

Future is andhera , blackboard . I sincerely believe Ambassador is a lost cause. It should be given a grand farewell rather than see it die ...

After one of the meetings of the Computer Society of India, my professor offered a lift to me in his ambassador car. When I opened the door itself, I was thrilled by the inside. Very neat, clean, luxurious and comfortable. Even though I travelled only 5-6 kms in that car, I still remember the comfort.

I feel, with a number of serious modifications, ambis can still be in the market.
But, HM's plans to come with a new design after 2 years in the 5-7 lakhs bracket will most likely be a failure. Reason (a) There are many experienced well-established companies in the market. (b) The 5-7 lakhs bracket customers are really of 'demanding' nature. The present state of quality and reliability of HM is not that of a promising company.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by iron

if Royal Enfield can script a comeback story why cant Hindustan Motors do the same?

Heard this way too often, but have to say : The two aren't comparable.

- The Bullet has an image, and is considered "cool" by men in their 20s / 30s / 40s / 50s and 60s. Amby? It's a grand ol' lady past her prime to most of us. Far from cool. Zero aspirational value.

- The Bullet really doesn't have too much competition, does it? How many other 350 - 500 cc bike alternatives are there? The Amby, on the other hand, sits in the most crowded segment of the market where it is simply outclassed by most competitors on all parameters.

In some ways, a Bullet is like an ol' school Jeep. The older they are, the sweeter they get. There's a lifestyle component attached to either. Few modern machinery can replace them. However, the Amby already has its spiritual successsor in place....too bad its made by someone else : The Tata Indigo

[cruiser@0523]

Stop making it, i have serious doubts weather the old engine will meet the next stage of emission norms. The amby should be scrapped, concentrate on mitsubishi which has a huge potential and currently their line up is in a sorry state with no intention of growing.

[mycarhasablower]

Till a while back , i didnt care about the amby at all only that i wanted them to keep making them so that i could keep getting new parts for my contessa. I was the fiat kinda guy , never found the amby interesting, untill recently. I am the kinda guy who likes to keep classics original. Stock is what does it for me , but if i ever ended up with an amby id love to make it into a LEAD SLED , with a chopped and lowered roof and frenched head and tail lights and a simpler grille.

[mooza]

Originally Posted by mycarhasablower

...but if i ever ended up with an amby id love to make it into a LEAD SLED , with a chopped and lowered roof and frenched head and tail lights and a simpler grille.

Looks cool ! I particularly like the contoured cover for the rear wheel (is this called a customised side moulding ?). This would reduce mud and rain water splashing onto pedestrians and other road users, I think. I assume this cover travels up and down alongwith the wheel / axle, to avoid its interference with the ground when moving over bumps

[tachobells]

Amby has to do a Volkswagen Beetle to survive, I feel. Nobody wants the old design anymore. But there may be many takers if they do a new model 'based on old design'. The new beetle doesn't look anything like modern cars, but it's still a very very modern design. My 2 cents.

[vivekgk]

I think it's about time we let the Amby rest in peace. What does it have to offer? Old-world charm? Not with the plastic bumpers and silly grille. Safety? Not really. Driving pleasure? Not with the archaic diesel drivetrain. About the only thing it has going for it is rear seat comfort and space. But I don't think that's worth sacrificing safety. It's one of the last remaining legacies of the Licence Raj that kept India 40 years behind the world. I agree that the older ones are classics that have to be kept pristine, but the new models? They don't have the elegance or class of the old models, inside or out.

[crazycardude198]

My two paise.

The Ambassador in its current form is effectively a bomb as far as sales are concerned. However there is still a strong emotional value attached to it. So from a business point of view it makes a good case for itself as far as a redesign is concerned.

However it is simply not smart to do just a basic visual change. The entire vehicle has to re-engineered with a new type of customer in mind. I feel that it will take something seriously original to bring in younger customers since thats where the profits would be. Not to mention an exciting new marketing blitz to make people forget about the rickety cars of the early days.

In order to even begin to consider a new Ambassador HM have to set up a very ambitious budget of at least several hundred crores from beginning to end and that too for several years.

Originally Posted by cruiser@0523

Stop making it, i have serious doubts weather the old engine will meet the next stage of emission norms. The amby should be scrapped, concentrate on mitsubishi which has a huge potential and currently their line up is in a sorry state with no intention of growing.

Awesome point! Mitsubishi has a very exciting portfolio of cars. It would be in HM's interests to develop a relationship like Maruti Suzuki etc and really blitz the market. They should consider bringing in the i-miev, the Colt, Grandis Minivan, and the ASX which is a genuine competitor to the Yeti, Santa Fe and Fortuner.

The Amby is simply not feasible for HM anymore. They hardly sell, have virtually no new customer base and to add insult to injury, costs more that cars more reliable than it!!

Note from the Team-BHP Support Team : Please use the "edit" button if posting within 20 minutes of the first post, instead of creating another back-to-back post. Thanks.

[SRK]

I feel Ambassador should be launched as a status product and not as a mass production one. Pricing can be higher provided they give a high quality product.
May be it can be a brand building exercise and later if everything goes correct every household would love to have a Amby standing in their garage.

By the way, people what do you think of my design?


Regards,
SRK Designs

[BlackPearl]

Great design @SRK, but the front looks way too Mini Cooperish. I like the Ambassadors a lot as they had been in our family for almost 3 decades and I grew up in them. It hurts me to see the current state of affairs with HM, but they have nobody to blame but themselves.

[kkg]

One word:- Awesome.

This design with fuel efficient engine like 1.3mjd or 1.4Tdci, with interior atleast like the Aveo sedan all under 7 lacs on the road. I will buy it for sure.

Send this Design to HM if you can.

[Live To Jive]

Originally Posted by GTO

However, the Amby already has its spiritual successsor in place....too bad its made by someone else : The Tata Indigo

The Tata Indigo may go well with those looking for the practicality of the Ambassador. But those who want the look will be disappointed. However I think the Dzire is the real successor to the Ambassador. People may say the looks are bad and I agree. But you have to accept that the car appeals to a lot of people and is real VFM. They should make the front like the Avigo and the rear somewhat like the Landmaster. Photoshop experts can you do the needful.

[SRK]

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

Great design @SRK, but the front looks way too Mini Cooperish. I like the Ambassadors a lot as they had been in our family for almost 3 decades and I grew up in them. It hurts me to see the current state of affairs with HM, but they have nobody to blame but themselves.

Thanks!
Mini's design was one of the inspiration is crafting the whole design but the car does have a distinct look when it will be made to stand next to a Mini.

Originally Posted by kkg

One word:- Awesome.

This design with fuel efficient engine like 1.3mjd or 1.4Tdci, with interior atleast like the Aveo sedan all under 7 lacs on the road. I will buy it for sure.

Send this Design to HM if you can.

Thanks!
I would love to see bigger engines in this one.
And no the interior can't be like any other car, it will have that retro look and finished in leather with chrome and wood touches.

I don't know how can I make HM see this, hope they visit here but I have posted the same image on a Facebook page called Amby Come Back, I think it was created by HM's marketing team.

Originally Posted by Live To Jive

The Tata Indigo may go well with those looking for the practicality of the Ambassador. But those who want the look will be disappointed. However I think the Dzire is the real successor to the Ambassador. People may say the looks are bad and I agree. But you have to accept that the car appeals to a lot of people and is real VFM. They should make the front like the Avigo and the rear somewhat like the Landmaster. Photoshop experts can you do the needful.

To me its the SX4 that replaces the Amby in terms of design.
Indigo replaces it for being practical.

[tantragna]

Originally Posted by SRK

I feel Ambassador should be launched as a status product and not as a mass production one. Pricing can be higher provided they give a high quality product.
May be it can be a brand building exercise and later if everything goes correct every household would love to have a Amby standing in their garage.

By the way, people what do you think of my design?
Attachment 452916

Regards,
SRK Designs

One word STUNNING! Wow, you should have been in the HM line! Would love to own such premium classic rather than the current unknowns!

[dsr_rpm]

As per news from the following post in yahoo there are going to be four new variants of ambassador. The designing is being carried out by Onio design firm in pune and it will have engine capacity ranging from 1.5L to 2.0L (which means they will retaining the existing engines). Hope to see them by end december.

Link : Fit to Post: Yahoo! India News Blog Archive Ambassador Set For A Comeback