July 26, 2013: Hindustan Motors’ ARAI-certified BS IV Ambassador model with a 1.5-litre diesel engine is set to roll out of Hindustan Motors Uttarpara plant in Hooghly from August 2013. The Ambassador has been certified as BS IV emissions compliant by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), Pune. Equipped with an upgraded engine, the vehicle passed ARAI’s mass emission, OBD II (onboard diagnostics) and other related tests as per Rule 115 of Central Motor Vehicles Rules (CMVR), 1989, effective from April 2013.

The move opens the 17 major metro markets, especially Kolkata, for the new model; sale of BS III cars has been banned in these markets since April 2010. Hindustan Motors has begun work on production of the newly certified BS IV Ambassador car at Uttarpara.

Welcoming the development, HM’s managing director and CEO, Uttam Bose, said: “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 Hindustan Motors 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.”

Recently, HM had displayed the upgraded vehicle to office-bearers of Kolkata’s different taxi associations, according to a company statement. Following extensive driving at the company’s test track at the Uttarpara plant, they found the new vehicle to be superior to the existing BS III model. They were of the view that apart from reasonable emission levels, the upgraded vehicle also offers higher power and torque, improved gradient negotiating capacity, better cooling and overall better driveability with no compromise on fuel consumption. The official endorsement of this feedback has now come in the form of BS IV certification by ARAI, says the statement.

SHOBHA MATHUR