The Hindustan Motors Ambassador is one of India's most iconic automobiles. Everyone in India is familiar with the Laal Batti Vali Gadi. Ambassador was adored by government leaders as well as the general public. But how many of you are aware that this legendary vehicle was also available as a station waggon? Yes, you read that correctly. Ambassador Estate first opened its doors in the 1970s. The estate was based on the Ambassador, with the exception of a metal and glass box affixed to the back by the firm. This can be seen in the image.
The Ambassador Estate was a very rare car to see on the road.
Maruti Suzuki has always been a well-known car manufacturer in India. The firm has produced a variety of vehicles that have been well received by the Indian audience. For 15 years, the Alto was India's best-selling model, only to be dethroned in 2019 by the company's own Dzire. Maruti Suzuki's legendary Maruti 800, a household name in India, did exceptionally well. However, not all of the automaker's vehicles were well-received. One of them is Baleno Altura. Maruti's Baleno car was available in a station waggon variant. The 1.6-litre petrol engine of the Baleno Altura was both fuel-efficient and powerful.
The Fiat Padmini was one of the most popular automobiles of the time. However, the estate's equivalent, Padmini Premier Safari, was not as well received. This automobile was introduced by Fiat in 1973. India's first estate automobile was the Padmini Premier Safari. It was also constructed by Starline Motors, a Mumbai-based coach-building company. This waggon had a four-cylinder petrol engine that developed 39 horsepower. The Premier Safari, on the other hand, had to be discontinued since the response from buyers was not what the firm had hoped for.
Tata Motors is known for a variety of vehicles, but the Estate is not one of them. However, the Tata Estate came with a long list of standard equipment, including power windows, power steering, 15-inch alloy wheels, a factory-installed cassette player, a tachometer, and more.
The Tata Estate was powered by a non-turbocharged 1.9-litre diesel engine that produced 67 horsepower at its peak. All of these qualities, however, were insufficient to persuade buyers to purchase one. This is due to the fact that the car was unreliable and lacked a backup engine. Due to low sales, Tata had no choice but to abandon the model.
Tata Motors tried their hand at manufacturing a station waggon once more. They expanded one of their well-known automobiles, Indigo, this time to create even another estate. It was given the name Indigo Marina by Tata. The Marina did not perform as well as the Tata Estate in terms of sales, but it was also not a success. However, Marina's build quality was poor, and the waggon was also underpowered. This was due to the fact that it only possessed 1.4-litre petrol and diesel engines, which were the same as those found in the Indigo hatchback.
Koda, a Czech carmaker, is noted for introducing high-quality vehicles. The Octavia Combi from koda was no exception. However, this did not go down well in India. The waggon was equipped with a 1.8-liter turbocharged petrol engine that produced an impressive 149 horsepower. 149 horsepower, believe it or not, was nothing short of incredible at the time. The body appeared to be well-designed and not simply an extension of the Octavia. This car is without a doubt one of India's top Station Wagons.
Koda, a Czech carmaker, has a reputation for introducing high-quality vehicles. The Octavia Combi from Koda was no exception. However, this was not a hit in India. The waggon was equipped with a 1.8-liter turbocharged petrol engine that produced 149 horsepower. 149 horsepower, believe it or not, was nothing short of remarkable at the time. The body itself appeared to be well-designed and not simply an extension of the Octavia. This car is unquestionably one of India's top Station Wagons.
The Montego station waggon was introduced to the Indian market in 1993 by Sipani Automobile in collaboration with Rover Motors of the United Kingdom. This was a fully loaded vehicle. It was powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel engine that produced over 80 horsepower and 165 Nm of peak torque. The estate included power steering, power windows, and air conditioning, all of which were uncommon at the time. However, the wagon's Rs 11 lakh price tag was the main cause for its failure in India. By 1995, the automobile had been phased out.
Fiat, like other automakers, experimented with the waggon category. The Siena sedan was built on the Palio hatchback, and the Fiat Weekend was based on that. It was introduced in 2002 as a more capacious alternative to its predecessor. Giorgetto Giugiaro, a well-known Italian vehicle designer, drew up the design for Fiat Weekend. The waggon was powered by a 1.6-litre petrol engine with 104 horsepower.
But, despite all of this, the Weekend was a flop in India. Low sales forced the company to cancel the automobile soon after.
Fiat released another station waggon, the Palio Adventure, based on the same basis as the Weekend. Weekend can be thought of as a dull-sporty variation of Adventure. Because the Adventure had bigger tyres and sportier alloy wheels, this was the case. It also included a factory-installed bull-bar (Yes, it was legal at that time). But that was the end of it. The rest of the situation was the same. The Palio Adventure was also powered by the same engine. And they both met the same end. The model was discontinued due to extremely low demand.
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