Hindustan Ambassador

The Hindustan Ambassador is a car manufactured by Hindustan Motors of India. It has been in production since 1958 without much modifications or changes and is based on the Morris Oxford III model first made by the Morris Motor Company at Cowley, Oxford in the United Kingdom from 1956 to 1959. Despite its British origins, the Ambassador is considered the definitive Indian car and is fondly called "The king of Indian roads". The automobile is manufactured by Hindustan Motors at its Uttarpara plant near Kolkata, West Bengal.It is the most popular car in India and is perceived to be best suited to the harsh Indian terrain. Its iconic status was helped by the fact that it was the preferred means of conveyance of India's political leadership, including the Prime Minister of India, before they moved on[citation needed] to other luxury cars and SUVs. In 2002, then-Indian PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee started traveling in an armored BMW 7i vehicle for security purposes. However, some prominent Indian politicians, such as Sonia Gandhi, continue with their preference for the Hindustan Ambassador.