[veyron_head]

If something needs a facelift, its not the Amby. Its HM itself.

I dont see a reason why Amby should be sold in today's market. It has no standing amidst today's modern cars, on any parameter. If HM wants a come back, which has a bleak likelihood anyway, they should come up with an all new car. Period.

BTW, the much talked about back seat comfort of Amby sounds a bit exaggerated to me. I dont buy the argument that Amby rivals today's cars in back seat comfort. I find the Manza just as comfortable, if not more.

[gearhead_mait]

Originally Posted by subratasenn

True, but still there was something about an Amby. Actually it added character to Kolkata in its taxi avatar, somewhat like the London cabs. Kolkata will never look the same without the Ambassador yellow cabs.

Just read an news bit by Dilip Chabria:

"Had Hindustan Motors continued to evolve the Amby over the past 60 years without changing the DNA, it would have been the Rolls Royce of India," a newspaper quoted India's leading auto designer Dilip Chhabria as saying.

Originally Posted by subratasenn

On a different note, West Bengal now has two non-functional car factories. The Amabassador factory at Uttarpara, which has closed down. And the Nano factory at Singur, which never opened!

And we now have the lives of 1200 factory workers at stake.

[D4D]

Well, some good things also have to stop. It was coming, but no one knew when. No facelift would have worked in it's favour, as the people who wanted the car wanted it as much stock as possible, the other, they just moved on. Ridiculous the Mr. Vajpayee is blamed for it's downfall. Even politicians want something modern.

[Baddychat]

Originally Posted by veyron_head

BTW, the much talked about back seat comfort of Amby sounds a bit exaggerated to me. I dont buy the argument that Amby rivals today's cars in back seat comfort. I find the Manza just as comfortable, if not more.

Agree a hundred percent with you. The "back-seat comfort" was for a time when the Premier Padmini was its main competition. Whenever I use one of the Amby taxis in kolkata, the first thing that comes to my mind is that ingress and egress and uncomfortable!
The process of reviving the Amby should have happened 20 years ago at least.

[Desi Dybuk]

Good riddance to this piece of trash! It signified everything that was wrong with our Socialistic economy of that era. This trash defined the derided term 'Indian Engineering'

I remember when my dad bought an Ambassador for his business 25 years ago. The car, straight from the dealership, was driven to a local mechanic to get chassis welding redone. Apparently, it was common for new Ambys to be rewelded & rewired.

[fine69]

Originally Posted by veyron_head

BTW, the much talked about back seat comfort of Amby sounds a bit exaggerated to me. I dont buy the argument that Amby rivals today's cars in back seat comfort. I find the Manza just as comfortable, if not more.

+1

I've travelled in Amby a couple of times and never did I experience that sofa feeling that people talk about. I too think its overrated a bit.

[autobalan]

Sad news! but someday it should happen..
but Amby was never cheap, the 1.5 diesel cost some 5+ ex-showroom,
There was nothing to attract buyers..and finally the sales went down.

[gearhead_mait]

Did anyone know that he 1.5 litre engine of the HM Ambassador is actually 1489cc, BMW B-Series diesel engine. Till now, I knew that it was ISUZU engine.

http://auto.ndtv.com/news/hindustan-...g-facts-389445

[P76]

HM should have done the Amby revival process at least in the early 2000's. All that was needed was a flawless body construction, good interior quality, (given the fact that there are n number of international auto component manufacturers after the arrival of the auto majors, getting these done wont be a problem), a modern drivetrain and minimum upgrades to the suspension and brakes.

A good example would be Mahindra, which has literally 'risen'. Look at how they have evolved the Armada/Commander into the Bolero - the mantra being Good competent engines, suspension/brakes, and reasonable pricing. I wouldn't say the Bolero is a state-of-the art product, but for it's target customer I think it is total VFM. The Bolero continues to clinch a spot in the top ten best-selling cars for a very long time now. Similarly Mahindra evolved the basic MM540 into the Thar. Enfield Bullet is another example.

HM, maybe has been plagued by other problems such as debts, and inefficient workers, but part of these problems are basically the outcome of HM's incapability to adapt according to the market demands. The Amby was being offered with a 1.5litre diesel engine with 35bhp and 2.0liter Isuzu diesel with 54 bhp which are very basic compared to today's market offerings. Hope HM finds some business partner, and brings out better vehicles, and also offers an improved and modernized AMBASSADOR alongside other vehicles.

[babu.sundaram]

It is simple, Amby has to go. However nostalgic it may be (Horse drawn carriages too trigger nostalgia!).

That said, HM could have done better than keeping the same quality levels. In first place, accounts of new cars straight to garage for rewiring, re-weld is an insult to the manufacturing, talk volumes about the quality expectations in those times. Upon that are accounts of how a 10-Amby-taxi-fleet can keep 2-3 folks busy full time, rub salt (yes, heard from a taxi fellow in South). Even the folks who love Amby love it for the curves (and never for the quality).

The same HM was able to put together Mitsubishi Lancers, etc (what a difference!). It is simple, HM doesn't want to continue the business and has pulled plug finally.

PS: May be a Maruti/Hyundai/Tata(?) type reliability, maintainability, safety and comfort under Amby skin could have made a difference!

[cityvic]

HM Ambassador Taxi in Calcutta loaded on a dumpster.

[AyAn!]

Although it's a justified demise, I must say, I had a soft spot for the newer 1.8 ISZ models.

[avira_tk]

Originally Posted by Desi Dybuk

Good riddance to this piece of trash! It signified everything that was wrong with our Socialistic economy of that era. This trash defined the derided term 'Indian Engineering'

I remember when my dad bought an Ambassador for his business 25 years ago. The car, straight from the dealership, was driven to a local mechanic to get chassis welding redone. Apparently, it was common for new Ambys to be rewelded & rewired.

Thanks for pointing out the obvious, this whole icon nonsense has been repeated so often that it's plain irritating. The story is the same one I've heard about my uncle's car, anyone who could get rid of his Amby in the post license raj era simply did so as soon as they could afford to.

There was a similar thread and some of the ignorant stuff has made its way into this thread too, like how the car is safer than cars with ABS, the stock Amby couldn't be stopped on an upward slope even if you stood in the brakes. This contraption is symbol of all that was wrong with our county. It isn't the London taxi, but the twin of the Trabant.

I am sure that HM is going to cash in big time when they redevelop the land the factory stands on. How fitting this is happening at a time when India gets it's first PM who is from the post independence era. Good riddance to post expiry stuff. This was kept on life support by government policy not by demand, I hope we had some laws which would have forced HM to stop production ages ago.

[maverick.munish]

Real sad day for Hindustan Motors.
A legend of a car retires without much fuss and frolic.
Just like it has been serving the Indian bureaucracy since time immemorial.
Though it was never a pleasure to drive, but the comfort level for the back bench passengers was just immaculate.

Some very interesting facts about the Amby as posted on Firstbiz.

http://www.firstbiz.com/corporate/ri...urce=fp-footer

[jassi_jeeper]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

There is something called "life cycle", you can neither change this nor stop it. Something that comes (birth) has to go (Death) for the successor to continue (If any).
========
Anurag.

Yes it is mostly true, but look at the Bullet Standard and the Jeep ( Thar ). Our beloved Amby has the potential to live too.