[Sutripta]

Would like to know more about this BS4 engine. To say I'm sceptical would be putting it mildly.

Regards
Sutripta

[anjan_c2007]

Some brand new ENCORE's clicked by us at M/s Austin Distributors, Kolkata.
THE MANAGEMENT & STAFF WERE ELATED TO KNOW ABOUT OUR Ambassador and Landmaster Fans, Aficionados and Owners Club of India page on Face Book.
We are extremely thankful to the management of M/s Austin Distributors, Kolkata to allow us to click the cars at their showroom.
The showroom had many visitors and is now a beehive of activity after the Encore launch.
This is contrary to the scenario prevailing in June 2013, when during our previous visit only the staff was seen in the showroom.

[maddyoni10]

End of the road for Ambassador is what this article says...

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/b...w/35577687.cms

Sad. Wish there was a twist in the tale with someone like DC joining hands with some corporates to infuse some design changes or whatever it takes to revive the brand instead of letting it go. Maybe I like fairy tales!

[rsidd]

Brands like Rolls-Royce can be resuscitated via buyouts. I think the Ambassador's brand image is not comparable! Most of us (at least those of us over 40) have ridden largely in Ambassadors as children, but the memories are mixed -- my parents had two (both used -- that was normal in those days), the first was troublesome from start to end, the second served well in comparison, but they got rid of it (for a Maruti 800) as soon as they could. I think the main memory for most people who had an Ambassador as children is the engine overheating, steam coming out of the hood, etc!

In short, I don't see hope for a resurrection of the brand.

[anjan_c2007]

The Ambassador Encore brochures, where its listed with the other variants available, as in September 2013. This could have been the last ever list of variants of this iconic car:





(The then prevailing price as written with a pen were for Kolkata )

Courtesy: Messrs Austin Distributors, Kolkata

[Mr.Boss]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

The Ambassador Encore brochures

Semi electrical leaf spring

We knew HM didn't put their efforts to keep the iconic car alive and this is one example of their poor management.

[anjan_c2007]

Lately, many of these once pristine looking white beauties (Ambassador Encore), have been partly to badly battered , due to the traffic conditions in the "City of Joy". It's very rare that we find some shiny and gleaming Ambassador taxi (unless the owner/driver maintains it well) , as the last one rolled out on 24/05/2014 - HM's D-Day. Four years or more into the grind, very few are still very well maintained. Contrarily, earlier one would sight a brand new or not very new but maybe upto a year old Ambassador, but not anymore.

Another fact that was revealed by a friend is that the Encore's Intercooler turbocharger (TC) that propelled it to the BS IV Club, has failed in many taxis. The taxi owners have thus dismantled the TC, which brings the taxi car back to the old BS III category. The BS IV upgradation was done by HM hurriedly, as the time accorded for the deadline to stop sale of BS III taxis was fast approaching. This was in fact a relaxation given by the W.B. state government to HM, as it was a labour intensive industry in the state and as it was unable to bring out the BS IV taxi within the court's deadline.

The "No Refusal" tag implies that the driver would not be able to refuse passenger/s. The W.B. government has accorded partial duty relief (State Sales Tax then) to all such ""No Refusal " taxis translating into about Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000, on the on-road price.

As the HM plant has closed down, not a single new Ambassador has been sold charging GST (post 01/07/2017). The Maruti-Suzuki Tour that is virtually replacing the Ambassador, also comes with the "No Refusal" tag, implying that these are getting State GST reliefs.

Some more pictures of Ambassador Encore taxis from Kolkata. A taxi clicked in several frames was photographed in 2014 (precisely on 10-04-2014), when it was brand new.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Some more pictures of Ambassador Encore taxis from Kolkata.

There is something about a white Amby that no other car can beat, regality, stance, nostalgia, gait, or a mix of all these.

OT: Are the two holes (which are very close to each other compared to the rest of the pattern) in the dish nave a manufacturing defect or is there some other reason?

[anjan_c2007]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

There is something about a white Amby that no other car can beat, regality, stance, nostalgia, gait, or a mix of all these.

OT: Are the two holes (which are very close to each other compared to the rest of the pattern) in the dish nave a manufacturing defect or is there some other reason?

Attachment 1759558

Very well detected by you. This could be a manufacturing defect, as there could be no reason as to why the taxi owner or driver of a brand new taxi would attempt such a feat ? The wheel discs were outsourced I believe by HM, from outside companies like M/s Wheels India Ltd or Bharat Forge / Kalyani Group and so on.

Also its intriguing as to why the poor quality, three pointed star hubcap is fitted to a new taxi ? As is evident from the HM showroom pictures posted by me earlier, the hub caps were standard fitment on the new Ambassadors. So it could be that the OE hubcaps were stolen (?) and the aftermarket ones were fitted to this new taxi.

[vivekgk]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Very well detected by you. This could be a manufacturing defect, as there could be no reason as to why the taxi owner or driver of a brand new taxi would attempt such a feat ? The wheel discs were outsourced I believe by HM, from outside companies like M/s Wheels India Ltd or Bharat Forge / Kalyani Group and so on.

Also its intriguing as to why the poor quality, three pointed star hubcap is fitted to a new taxi ? As is evident from the HM showroom pictures posted by me earlier, the hub caps were standard fitment on the new Ambassadors. So it could be that the OE hubcaps were stolen (?) and the aftermarket ones were fitted to this new taxi.

The model from the showroom is probably a higher variant, as it has beige interiors, plastic bumpers from the Grand, and a Power Steering decal. It also comes with the Grand's full wheel covers.

The base model doesn't seem to come with any hubcaps, as shown in the first pic in the thread.

I've also seen the irregular cuts in the steel wheels and I always assumed they were a made to balance out the poorly manufactured wheels at the wheel factory.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

So it could be that the OE hubcaps were stolen (?) and the aftermarket ones were fitted to this new taxi.

Either that OR OE hubcaps were a dealer accessory at a cost, and hence the driver/owner chose to fit a cheaper aftermarket alternative. Also, since the car has been stickered and customised quite a bit, it has definitely had its share of accessory store visits.