[arjab]

Originally Posted by norhog

.....some mods on the body like what we have seen on these forums and developing an indipendent rear suspension and tweaking the front, it can be made to look and handle more like a modern sedan.

Amby did have such a version. Was available in the bullet-proof version used by our former Prime Minister Atal.B. Vajpayee.
Those Amby's had the Contessa 1.8 powertrain, independent coil front suspension, semi-independent trailing link rear suspension, different wheel rims, discs at the rear . And of course the mandatory bullet-proofing aggregates.

I had seen one such example. What struck me was the sheer flexibility of the Amby platform to take such extensive modifications and still soldier on

[sandeepmohan]

Just when I thought this car was on its last legs, it makes a come back.

If only they put some quality into the build of this car, I am sure there would be more buyers for it. The images show horrendous fit, finish and the worst plastics ever. The plastics surrounding the steering column is misaligned and it screams cheap. The switch for the parking lights and headlamp are at an angle. What looks like a storage compartment below the headlamp switch looks like it is going to fall off. I can see the temperature gauge heading north.

The seats look comfortable and so does the driving position based on Hitler sitting on the seat. Throttle pedal looks like a new design.

[sharoncr_17]

I feel the standard amby looks better than the CS. Ambassadors are owned not for the sake of comfort, but it's a case of nostalgia. We always had one in our stable along with the new gen cars. It was mainly used for taking the kids to school and for our company trips till we sold it off last year. I am planning to go for a used Ambassador Grand with AC, PW & PS.
Attaching a pic of the last amby we had:

[kutts]

Looking forward to an official T-BHP review. I beleive we should give Amby a chance to prove itself.

[Viju]

This has been a long time in the making. I wonder why they painted the vehicle as a taxi?!

[sameervg]

This is in deed good news that finally Amby launching their BS-4 variant. Hope Amby will survive and improve further with change.
Amby is always one of my dream cars and this may be only because in my childhood I traveled a lot in Amby and I could only see Amby and PAL cars everywhere in India. Four years back I actually explored option of Amby before purchasing my DZire vxi but due to lack of refinement and bomb cost to maintain, it did not worked out.
In my view, people will prefer to have a car with sturdy-ness and space like Amby with better refinement. When I am saying refinement at least it should in the level of MUL, Hyundai, Tata, etc.

I will definitely prefer to have Amby as my next car provided HM providing better refinement with BS-4 engine ( petrol / Diesel ), interiors, good FE, features like Alloys, tubeless tyres, disk brakes, ABS, power steering, power windows as default.

Another humble suggestion to HM : They should come up with station wagon / MUV / MPV with 7 seats option. In old era HM were having their station wagon with driveaway chassis (mentioned in Landmaster and Ambassodor thread on T-BHP). For HM it should not be an issue doing boot away and extend cabin for 3rd row keeping wheelbase and chassis same. If MSIL can make Ertiga then why not HM ?
I think my expectations are too high but hope HM will change their course of action to keep Amby alive as there are still people like me who will love to see Amby majority on Indian roads.

Cheers !

[JayPrashanth]

Hindustan Motors is expected to launch the BS-4 emission norms compliant diesel engined Ambassador next month as the car has now received ARAI certification. While specifications of the BS4 compliant diesel engine remain unknown at this point in time, a 1.5 liter engine capacity and turbo charging are expected to be the two major features of this motor.



Note: The image of the Hindustan Ambassador shown in this report is illustrative.

Hindustan Motors will begin rolling out the Ambassador Diesel in BS4 guise from its Uttarpara factory in West Bengal, over the next few days. BS4 compliance for the diesel engined Ambassador will give Hindustan Motors access to 20 major Indian cities, which have adopted BS4 emission norms. By 2015, 50 Indian cities are expected to shift to the more-stringent emission norms.

Since April 2010 (the time from when BS4 emission norms kicked in across 13 cities of India), Hindustan Motors has not been able to sell the diesel variants of the Ambassador as the car wasn't certified to meet the new emission norms. The renewed access to these markets could mean higher volumes for Hindustan Motors. Also, BS4 compliance will mean that the Ambassador will be back on Kolkata roads, in the taxi segment.

The taxi segment in Kolkata is one of the largest contributors to the Ambassador's volumes. The deadline for making the Ambassador Diesel BS4 compliant finally expired in May 2013. This, after the West Bengal government granted multiple deadline extensions to Hindustan Motors, right from April 2010.

The expiration of the May 2013 deadline and the West Bengal government's subsequent refusal to extend the deadline seems to have prompted Hindustan Motors to hasten the arrival of the BS4 Ambassador Diesel. In the past, the car maker has overshot multiple deadlines for bringing the BS4 diesel model to the market.

Hindustan Motors's future plans for the Ambassador involve a compact sedan version of the car, lined up for a launch by the end of this year. The sub-4 meter version of the Ambassador could be attractively priced due to excise duty benefits conferred by the Indian government on compact cars.

Next year, a redesigned Ambassador could be launched. Said to be aimed at younger buyers, the car is said to feature comprehensive restyling and new features. The new version of the Ambassador will be built on the existing platform. The new BS4 emission norms compliant 1.5 liter turbo diesel engine is expected be the basis for new Ambassador models.

Source BusinessStandard

[justwheels]

Amby in the BS4 avatar. Good to hear that. This one just doesn't get killed, it just keeps fighting back.
Its like our own Rolls Royce I believe, if only it could match the luxury tag to it.
I really don't think the CS version gimmicks will ever work with the Amby. Amby is Amby, you cant chop things off it just for the heck of it. I mean if you chop it off, the whole USP is gone. That huge trunk is probably one of the features of the Amby. Being in Kolkata, I have seen a few taxiwalas switching to Indigo CS, but its no comparison. The Indigo CS is puny when compared to the leg/elbow/shoulder room that Amby provides. Its the best Taxi a city can have.

[AUTO_CRAZY]

I think revival of Amy ..... Someone has to to think or follow the way of Enfield bullet. Even cutting the price won't help and even though they would have recovered the cost of die etc , still the raw material costs are high and Amy cannot be priced at , 3 or 4 lakhs. They do not have dealerships and few places they sell directly , they have lost govt orders. Even if they launch a small car ,it is difficult for them . Some where in late 90 s they had an option (they were doing trials of small cars from Mitsubishi and proton ) . That was the time they should have taken the call to seriously launch small car. They had a good dealer network etc , instead they launched RTV. Now they have only amby image, but no products no dealerships, infant they do not pay regularly to their employees ( other than production) !!

[volkman10]

Hindustan Ambassador BSIV coming this August.

Source:ACI

[HillMan]

Amby is a great car and the longest production vintage model in the world. If HM doesnt play around with its sheet metal for cost cutting, I guess it will still rule the roost.

Amby is about low maintenance and sturdiness. The taxi wallas love this car because of this. It doesnt get dented easily, if it does, it can be welded and tinkered easily. It is the king of bad roads.

Any mechanic could repair the engine with low cost spares, so no one really bothered about service network. Now the scene may be different with the BS4.

[HillMan]

BBC TopGear
World's Greatest Taxi

It was much fun watching the shoot out couldn't help share it out here.
More reason to love our humble Amby.

Mods feel free to remove the post if the video does not qualify per T-BHP policy. I dont own the content, so not sure if it can be posted.

[anjan_c2007]

More details of the new BS IV complaint Ambassador 1500 DSL - its largest selling variant:

http://www.autocarindia.com/News/351...is-august.aspx

The sale of BS III complaint Ambassadors was stopped in Kolkata for many months or perhaps a year or so,complying with the court order, as the BS IV complaint version was not coming. But a few months ago, the sale ban was lifted and the Kolkata roads again saw a fleet of new taxis and private Ambassadors on its roads as the W.B. government relaxed the ban and allowed the sale of BS III versions for a specific period.Now the BS IV version will consign all such relaxations and extensions to history.















For those of us who were taking the recent crowning the Ambassador as the World's Greatest Taxi,with a pinch of salt and asserting that it is a parody of sorts, the HM website has also been swiftly updated :

http://www.hmambassador.com/

[HillMan]

The world taxi shootout (funny racing and crashing) video is not available on youtube.
Here is the link from Facebook: World's Greatest Taxi

[ahmad.007]

The Ambi lacks modernity, not the design, its classy and people have no problem with it, but the interiors, engine, fit finish, features, refineness, etc. HM can either get that right or I say axe the Ambi and bring in the Contessa! Oh, how much I love that classy car. If we could get the Contessa with a modern/refined powerful engine, better interior, fit and finish, I am damn sure it will swallow the modern sedans alive (provided it could compete reasonably). IMO, Contessa is the best looking car I have ever seen with my naked eyes.