History of Ambassador

2. ABOUT THE FOUNDER:
 Birla, the youngest son of philanthropist Ghanshyam Das Birla, was born on 12 January 1921. By the age of fifteen, he
was already actively associated with a large number of companies and eventually became the chairman of Kesoram
Industries.[when?] In this role, he focused on the cotton, viscose, polyester and nylon, refractory, paper, marine, tire
records, transparent paper, pipe, cement, tea, coffee, cardamom, chemical, plywood, MDF board, etc.
 In 1959, he established the Indo Ethiopian Textiles Share Company, the first major joint venture by any Indian
industrialist. In response, Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia awarded him the Medal of the Order of Menelik II,
Ethiopia's highest honor.
 On 13 April 1942, he married Sarla, daughter of activist and writer Brijlal Biyani, after being introduced to each other by
Jamnalal Bajaj and Mahatma Gandhi in 1941. They had a son, Aditya Vikram Birla.
 He was the chairman of Krishnarpan Charity Trust which runs an engineering college called BK Birla Institute of
Engineering & Technology in Pilani, Rajasthan, Swargashram Trust which runs a Sanskrit school in Rishikesh. He also
founded Birla Public School in Qatar and Birla College of Arts, Science & Commerce in Kalyan near Mumbai. He is the
author of several books, including an autobiography titled Svantah Sukhaya.

3. Continued…….
 Birla died on 3 July 2019 at the age of 98.
 The late Mr. B.M. Birla (cousin of Mr. G.D. Birla) started a company called Hindustan Motors in 1942. After Mr. B.M.
Birla, the company was headed by Mr. G.P. Birla and then Mr. C.K. Birla was at the helm. Hindustan Motors started
manufacturing the Ambassador car (based on the British Morris Oxford) in West Bengal in 1948. The West Bengal car plant
where the Ambassador cars were manufactured is said to be the first passenger car plant in Asia outside of Japan.
 The Ambassador was perhaps best suited to the treacherous Indian terrain (back in the day) and was numerous on Indian
roads until about the mid-1980s when Maruti Suzuki took over. The Times of India in its edition dated 25 May 2014
published an article headlined "End of trip for Ambassador".
 Industry experts say that HM (Hindustan Motors) is stuck in time and history and now its history has become a liability.
Hindustan Motors has plants in Uttarpara (West Bengal) and Tiruvallur (Tamil Nadu).

4. AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
The first time in India that a vehicle came on road was in 1897.
Till 1930, India did not have any manufacturing facility and cars were imported directly from other
countries.
Great depression effects
Make in India(1940s)- Birlas, Walchands, Tatas
THE BEGINNING…
Brij Mohan’s interest on western world’s Auto Industry
1942, Port Okha, Gujarath.
HM had to wait due to war.
Ganga Prasad got it in Family Distribution.
Shifted HM to Uttarpa, WB

5. MORRIS MOTORS
 1949, HM signed with Studebaker, Morris Motors.
 The company decided to manufacture MM under a licence agreement.
 Launched Hindustan 10 in 1949.
 1954, collaborated with MM to assemble them in India.
 In 1957,The Fourteen was replaced by the Hindustan Landmaster (the Morris Oxford Series II)

6. AMBASSADOR ENTRY
HINDUSTAN AMBASSADOR MK1
1953-1963
Hindustan Ambassador MK 2
1963-1975
Hindustan Ambassador MK 3
1975-1979 Hindustan Ambassador MK 4
1979-1990

7. MODERNISED AMBASSADORS
Hindustan Ambassador “NOVA”
1990-1999
Hindustan Ambassador “CLASSIC”
1992-2011
Hindustan Ambassador “Grand”

8. Hindustan Ambassador “AVIGO”
2004 to 2007
Hindustan Ambassador Encore
2013 to 2014
 First car to follow “Make in India”
 Longest production car of India
 World’s best taxi award
 Until entry of Maruti in 1983, it was the only car
manufactured in India.
 Designed with a monocoque chassis

9. What happened next?...
 Due to competitors (mainly people’s car Maruthi because ambassador is premium car).
 Faced problems due to licence Raj.
 Due to liberalisation foreign companies entered.
 No major changes in model.

10. President’s choice…
 Dr.Abdul kalam was the president of india. Dr kalam is known for simple living.
 He preferred to travel in old ambassador car without a beacon light and VIP
cap. The pilot vehicles were asked to follow the traffic rules.
 The prime ministerial motorcade consists of ambassadors and the more than
40-year-old workhorse remains the official vehicle of senior politicians, top civil
servants, judges, and generals.
…The 80’s
 Until the 1980’s, Ambassador and Premier Automobiles Ltd’s (PAL) Padmini were the only 2 cars
available in the Indian market. Ambassador was the vehicles of choice, Government of India, and the
official car for almost every Indian Prime Minister after independence.
 There was no executive order that the government departments have to buy only ambassador cars.
Still all were buying as a prestige to own it.
 HM derived a major part of its sales from senior politicians, top civilians, bank managers and defense
personnel.

11.  Ambassador was very popular in the taxi segments because of the perception that the ambassador was
better suited for the rough Indian roads and its strong structure, its believed to withstand the impact of
accidents much better than any other car.
The Come Back of HM
 Hindustan Motors could soon bring back the beloved
HM Ambassador in an EV guise.
 A report suggesting HMFCI’s MoU with French
automaker Peugeot has triggered the possibility of
an Amby EV.
 Hindustan Motors might be having an electric two-
wheeler planned at first.

12. I AM WAITING….
THANK YOU.