Hindustan Motors sells iconic Ambassador brand to Peugeot-Citroën

Hindustan Motors has sold its iconic brand, Ambassador to the PSA Group in a deal worth Rs 80 crores that will include trademarks as well. HM has indicated that the amount will be used to clear its outstanding dues.

The PSA Group’s plans are unknown and it remains to be seen if it will revive the model or relaunch the brand as a retro-lifestyle offering with an all-new car, à la BMW’s Mini. More details are likely to emerge in the next few days. Interestingly, a few years ago, the Ambassador was featured in an advertisement for Peugeot and it showed a man remodelling the Ambassador to make it resemble a Peugeot 206.

The HM Ambassador was based on the Morris Oxford III model and was brought to India by the Birlas in 1957. It then went on to become a venerable icon of the Indian automobile landscape.

During the pre-liberalisation times, the Ambassador became a favourite of the masses, the taxi drivers and the political class. Over the decades, the Ambassador received countless iterations with the Mark series of cars, Nova, ISZ (with an Isuzu engine) and the most recent (03-04) Grand and Avigo versions.

However, most of these changes seemed to be few and far in between when compared to the other modern offerings in the market. Sales dwindled but the Ambassador soldiered on for another decade until production was suspended in 2014 at HM’s Uttarpara plant in West Bengal.

Earlier this year, the PSA Group, parent company of Peugeot and Citroën announced that it would return to India through joint ventures with the CK Birla Group. These joint ventures cover manufacturing, distribution of vehicles in India and a powertrain manufacturing unit, and will be based out of Tamil Nadu.

The PSA Group had in April 2016 revealed its aggressive ‘Push to Pass’ growth plan for the 2016-2021 period. India is part of this plan as per which the carmaker is targeting a partnership deal by 2018 and a product launch before the end of 2021.

Comments

Honda CB Unicorn 160 vs Suzuki Gixxer comparison

There is no replacement for displacement, as goes the old American saying, with which the rest of the world often nods in agreement. Increase in the number of cubic centimeters of fuel that our engines burn, seems only to be a pleasant idea to almost every petrolhead. More power, more torque and a healthier sounding grunt from the exhaust are the common expectations from larger engines. Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) has walked this same path, to add 10 extra cubic centimeters of capacity to the now proven CB Unicorn engine, to make the Honda CB Unicorn 160. FROLIC FASHION Although some of the features of the older CB Unicorn have been bettered, we’ve gone ahead and pitched it right in at the deep end, to face off against the very best in the segment to find out the exact degree to which this motorcycle has improved. So, in steps the Suzuki Gixxer, a Japanese-made premium commuter that’s fast rising to the top of its segment, with enough promise to overshadow all o...

2018 Lamborghini Urus India review, test drive

On first introduction, it’s a recipe for intimidation. It’s claimed to be the fastest SUV in the world (0-100kph in 3.6sec and a top speed of 305kph puts it nearly in supercar territory), and it’s made by Lamborghini – creator of some of the most savage vehicles on the market. Things – as with any Lamborghini, for that matter – would be a lot less daunting if we were driving on a smooth European country road, a wide motorway, or even a race track. But today we’re driving the Urus on a narrow ghat road, as well as through some heavy Pune traffic. Perhaps the intention was to demonstrate that this is the first Lamborghini ever to go on sale in India that truly works in our conditions – but still, I doubt they accounted for rush hour. It’s requisitely mad to look at, employing as many ‘sporty’ design tropes to an SUV body style as possible – the only thing missing is a massive wing on the back; and somehow, it works. It’s ...

ABS brakes mandatory for two-wheelers soon

The Government Of India is paying some attention to road safety issues in the country. Keeping road safety in mind, the GOI is working on making the anti-lock braking system mandatory for all two-wheelers above the engine capacity of 125cc. This is a big step forward in the right direction, as over 70 percent of accidents that take place in India involve two-wheelers. Nitin Gadkari, Road Transport Minister has just recently approved this proposal, and is working on implementing it. Gadkari, who was recently present at the Bloomberg TV Autocar India Awards 2015 also talked about his plans of building safer roads for India. This is absolutely necessary, keeping in mind that as per data collected in 2013, 39,353 people were killed on Indian roads while riding two-wheelers. While the time frame for the Indian government to enforce this law remains undecided, sources say that safer roads for India aren't too far away.

Automobilestillnow

Search This Blog