The Legend Returns: Iconic Hindustan Ambassador To Make Comeback With A French Twist. Details Here

The classical car was a status symbol in India from the 1960s to the mid-1990s, and it was also the lone mass-produced luxury car in the market.

New Delhi: One of the most iconic and classical Indian cars that remained a status symbol for decades is making a comeback in two years in a brand new avatar. Hind Motor Financial Corporation of India (HMFCI) and French carmaker Peugeot are collaborating on the design and engine of the ‘Amby’ which will be launched in a new incarnation. The joint venture is reportedly working on the design and the engine of Ambassador 2.0.

Hindustan Motors owned Ambassador car was present in India from 1958 to 2014 and be it a politician or a celebrity, the Ambassador in its early years was an aspirational product. It was a status symbol in India from the 1960s to the mid-1990s, and it was also the lone mass-produced luxury car in the market.

According to various media reports, the next generation Ambassador will be manufactured by the Chennai plant of Hindustan Motors. Hindustan Motors director Uttam Bose told TOI that work is underway to bring out the ‘new look’ Amby. “Mechanical design work for the new engine has reached an advanced stage,” he told the publication.

Bose further said the companies are currently discussing the equity structure. In the current proposed structure, Hindustan Motors will own 51% of the stake and the unnamed European company will own the remaining 49%.

Ambassador was also the first car to be built in India just after a decade of independence. Towards the end of its lifecycle, the Ambassador failed to keep up with the technology, comfort and there existed better cars on roads and declining sales led Hindustan Motors ceasing the production of the Ambassador.

In 2017, Hindustan Motors struck a deal with Peugeot and sold the Ambassador to the French automaker. CK Birla Group sold the Ambassador brand for Rs 80 crore to Peugoet which was one of the first foreign automakers to enter the Indian market in the mid-1990s.