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The Mobile Republic

Old is gold. Ask her fans, as the grande dame of Indian cars, the Amby, turns 50.

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The Mobile Republic
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Outlook
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Of the 15,000 Ambassadors rolled out every year, about 1,500, or 10 per cent, are bought by such enthusiasts. The rest go to taxi and tour companies (65 per cent), to the government (20 per cent), which continues to regard the white Ambassador as a symbol of power (India has been governed from the backseat of one, it is often said); and the remaining 5 per cent are exported.

"It is easy to run down the car, but had it been as bad as many pronounce it to be, why would even 1,500 people buy it for private use?" argues Soni Shrivastav of the C.K. Birla group, which owns Hindustan Motors, the car's maker.

Shrivastav confirms that any move to change the Ambassador's inimitable look is likely to backfire, since stodginess—call it stateliness, if you will—has become its USP. "Many people have warned us against changing the shape of the car. They like it as it is," she says. "We'll continue to cater to the niche segment—the politicians and bureaucrats and those who love the car, perhaps because it holds a nostalgic value for them."

Industry experts attest to that—the Ambassador, they say, will survive, but only in particular segments. Its price, which ranges from Rs 3.5 lakh to Rs 5.5 lakh, depending on models and features, is not a deterrent. And there are other attractions for niche buyers—this is the only Indian car that can be bullet-proofed. It is also the only Indian car that comes in petrol, diesel, CNG and LPG versions. And the only Asian car to have made it to the Smithsonian Institute.

Critics of the car are quick to say that is where it really belongs—in the museum, not on the roads. No way, the fans would say.

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