HM Ambassador diesel BS IV coming next month

Until almost the advent of last decade, the car you see in the above image used to be a synonym for power and authority. The HM Ambassador, or the Amby as it is popularly called, has surely seen better days in its life.

However, in the world of automobiles, nothing seems to be eternal and the ‘Grandpa’s car’ has to be among the most dated vehicles on road today. The fact that HM hasn’t exactly been regular with updating the Amby doesn’t help matters. The Ambassador not just lacks in creature comforts that are expected from a car in its segment, it also doesn’t boast of a set of modern engines.

While HM introduced a BS IV compliant Ambassador petrol in 2011, the diesel variant continued to be powered by a BS III compliant engine. With the khaki clad gentlemen switching to more modern cars such as the Ford Classic and Maruti SX4, the sales of petrol engine variant saw a dip. Also, a non-BSIV compliant diesel engine ensued that the sales of even the diesel variant took a big hit.

It has now emerged that HM has readied the BS IV compliant variant of the Ambassador diesel. The Amby diesel BS IV will go on sale next month and with this, car can re-enter 17 major metros where it isn’t on sale. It may be noted that sales of BS III compliant diesel cars are banned in metros since April 2010.

The BS IV Ambassador diesel would come with a thoroughly upgraded 1.5-litre diesel engine that will have better power and torque figures. The Hindustan Ambassador has been certified as BS IV emissions compliant vehicle by the Automotive Research Association of India by clearing its mass emission, OBD II (onboard diagnostics) and other related tests as per Rule 115 of Central Motor Vehicles Rules (CMVR), 1989, effective April 2013.

It will be interesting to see if the BS IV compliant Ambassador diesel would bring sufficient sales to its manufacturer.

To be honest, we wonder if it would be a classic case of Too Late, Too Little.

via ACI