The Ambassador from Hindustan Motors was once upon a time the most prominent part of the Indian automobile scene. Known for its ruggedness and ample space, the Ambassador was the first choice for the taxi segment, and also among government officials and dignitaries, who drove around sedately in white cars, flashing a red-light on its roof. It was also everybody’s favourite for a family vehicle, especially on road trips. With its exit, the Ambassador took away a vital piece of history and memories of a bygone era. But this time around, reports indicate that Mahindra is planning on filling in the gap created by the former’s exit by revamping the Verito.
The Verito, an upgraded version of the Logan which was introduced as a joint venture with Renault SA, was not exactly a best seller for the company. Mahindra will be looking at all the aggregators this time around. Nevertheless, the Verito has not attracted big sales as the vehicle is priced slightly higher than the rest. In order to tackle this issue, the company is reportedly working on making the vehicle more affordable and also focusing on the functionality aspect in terms of comfort as well as space.
According to rating agency ICRA, by 2020 as much as 17 per cent of total passenger vehicles sold in the country will be in the taxi segment. Currently, the Verito is offered in diesel as well as electric options. Mated to a five-speed manual transmission, the diesel is powered by a 1.5-litre 4-cylinder engine that generates 65bhp of power and 160Nm of torque. The electric version comes mated to an automatic transmission to generate 41bhp of power and 91Nm of torque. Further details are expected from the manufacturer in the recent future.
