Indian VIP's and politicians used to favour the Hindustan Ambassador, but in recent times of wealth in the Indian exchequer, they have opted for bullet-proof BMW's and Mercedes Benzes, with Tata Safari SUV's as accompanying vehicles in the cavalcade. The old Amby is now left to few and far between cab stands as everyone else has opted for more fuel-efficient and reliable cars from Japan!

The Hindustan Ambassador is a car manufactured by Hindustan Motors of India. It has been in production since 1958 with few improvements or changes and is based on the Morris Oxford III model, first made by the Morris Motors Limited at Cowley, Oxford in the United Kingdom from 1956 to 1959. Sale of Ambassador taxis had been banned since April 1, 2011, a year after BS IV norms were rolled out in 11 Indian cities, including Kolkata. At present the company is in an extremely challenging situation with plummeting sales and loss of INR299.6 million (US$5.2 million)in 2011-12. The company could only sell around 2,500 cars in 2011.

Despite its British origins, the Ambassador is considered as a definitive Indian car and is fondly called "The king of Indian roads". The automobile is manufactured by Hindustan Motors at its Uttarpara plant near Kolkata, West Bengal.

Source - Wikipedia

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