The first ever car manufactured in India: A journey down memory lane

India’s automobile industry is one of the most thriving industries in the world and set to grow exponentially in the coming years. We bet you agree that cars are a necessity today and owning a fancy car is a dream come true for many. Indian roads today witness a plethora of cars of indigenous and international origin, but very few are aware of how the automobile industry started in India.  Let us turn the clock back and introduce you to the first car made in our country.  

The first car 
The country’s automobile industry has humble roots. No, it was not the legendary Padmini! The first car to be made in India was the Hindustan 10 motor car which later came to be called as Hindustan Ambassador. It was a rebadged version of the Morris 10 series M through a technical collaboration with Morris Motors, UK. Morris Motors made Oxford Morris car models. It was assembled by Hindustan Motors initially in Okra, Gujarat, in India in 1948. Later, in 1949, its operations and assembly were shifted to West Bengal. Later, this car was remodeled to became the HM Ambassador. The first Ambassador car rolled out on Indian roads in 1957, over 65 years ago! We have indeed come a long way from that one!  

The Hindustan 10 car back then boasted of a 1.3-litre, overhead-valve engine with a 4 speed manual transmission. The factory claimed that the car could reach a top speed of 100 kmph in just over a minute, which was very impressive at the time! The Hindustan 10 had a large 1140 cc side valve engine and it also featured a chassis with solid front and rear axles, and the kerb weight was just over 900 kgs. Today, the Hindustan 10 is on its way to near extinction. 

Who owned the first ever car in India? 
The first car which arrived in India in 1897 was owned by an Englishman named Foster, the boss of the company Crompton Greaves. The very next year, Jamshedji Tata became the first Indian to own a car in India.  

The new avatar  
Sadly, the Hindustan 10 car could not stand the vicissitudes of time.  These were a status symbol from the 1960s to 1990s. The last Ambassador was made in 2014 after the company found a major decline in its sales. From selling almost 20,000 units in the 1980s, the annual sales plunged to a low of merely 2000 units, forcing the company to halt its production. There has been news that the Ambassador car may make a return to Indian roads soon, since French car maker Peugeot has acquired its rights. They are even planning to unveil the car in a new avatar, and its manufacturing will be done at Hindustan Motors’ Chennai unit. The new Ambassador will have a complete design overhaul and a new engine. Hindustan Motors and Peugeot are working on a new ‘Amby’. As per reports, the car’s mechanical and design work has reached an advanced stage and will be launched in 2024. 

Ambassador has a fan following of its own, almost reaching the cult status. Now the fans have a reason to rejoice!