HM Ambassador diesel is back with a cleaner engine
The Hindustan Motors (HM) Ambassador, one of the oldest production cars in the world, was removed from the market April 2010 for the lack of emission compliance. Now the world's most popular, and also the safest â€" if a recent survey is to be believed â€" taxi is set to hit the road again next month with a new and improved engine.
Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) has certified the vehicle as BS-IV compliant after it cleared mass emission and other tests as per Rule 11f of the Central Motor Vehicles Rule, 1989.
Equivalent to the Euro 4 limits used till 2009 in Europe, BS-IV compliance means that the latest Ambassador diesel will have an up-to-date (by Indian standards) engine that releases significantly fewer pollutants than the BS-III complaint model that fell afoul of norms three years ago. The new 1.5-litre diesel model will also comprise modern parts such as an OBD-II diagnostic plug, which has been a must for US cars since 1996.
But BS-IV is still a far cry from the current 'Tier 2, Bin V' emissions standards required for a car in the US, or Euro 5 for Europe, but it's significant step up from the almost negligible emission controls of the earlier BS-III standard.
The manufacturing of the new and improved Amby, as the Ambassador is popularly known as, has already begun and it is expected to start rolling out of HM's Uttarpara plant in Hooghly from August 2013.
"We had been working on upgrading our Ambassador 1.5-litre diesel car to match BS-IV norms for over a year. We are happy that our efforts have borne fruit and we have received certification from ARAI after passing rigorous tests. This has demolished the myth that HM cannot upgrade its existing engines. Moreover, this opens hitherto forbidden markets where this vehicle commands enviable loyalty in the taxi segment. We expect our sales to grow significantly within a few months," said Uttam Bose, Managing Director and CEO, HM.