[lonetraveller89]

CLICKBAIT ALERT!

Quoting from the original
ET Auto article -

The third product code-named as CC26 will be a sedan to take on the likes of Verna, and Honda City which is one of the high selling brands. This could have been a possible product to bring back the iconic Ambassador but the company has no thoughts so far in this direction.

[Turbohead]

Whether they bring the ambassador name plate or not, they really know how to create a hype. If not for the ambassador name tag, I wouldn't have opened this thread.

I guess it's a head on rival with the City since comfort is their USP.

[TrackDay]

And just when you thought it was over ! I seriously never thought any new sedan would enter our market, especially the price bracket of the City, Ciaz & Verna. When the current sedans itself are in a doubt whether to end the show with their current generation, here comes the possibility of a new sedan from a new player. I guess it is more than welcome. Would love to see this segment get heated up again !

On a side note I hope they don't do a 'Baleno', Where an iconic sedan was reborn as a hatch !

[anjan_c2007]

The fact that PSA Citroen is targeting the Honda City segment with its C 226 is a turn off for many wannabe Ambassador buyers. The launch and maybe disappearance a few years later could be most likely be just like that of any other lemon in metal if this C 226 design and City segment is targeted. The real targeted segment should be the Lower C Class viz. where the Maruti Suzuki DZire, Honda Amaze (only their website can say whether this car is still alive or no more), Hyundai Aura (earlier Xcent) and maybe some more are staying put. Because this is the old Ambassador's slot, where it fitted in smugly, though it had its mighty Isuzu 1817 cc and 1995 cc petrol and diesel respectively, along with the humble 1489 cc OHV (original BMC, but upgraded as Encore in its BS IV avatar) engines.

The brand "Ambassador" would be totally uncomfortable in the City segment, where the monthly sales figures are also much lower than the lowest C segment just discussed.

The car should be fully India specific and not any C 226 or other conventional variant of the company. PSA Citroen needs to start from the scratch on its design board after importing a few Ambassadors and their R&D team needs do really do some R and some D, physically inspecting and studying the car in metal. They need to introspect as to how this car lasted more than 6 decades in India (the licence Raj of course is a factor) and is still very, very firmly etched on the Indian car buyer's mindset as the ideal and the most comfortable and desired car of all times in its class. Ford had imported an Ambassador into the U.K. specifically to study the back seat geometry (its comfort quotient) prior to their launching the Ford Ikon.

It should have the desi, rugged looks and the unique USP (only users know this) that kept it going for decades together. The brand nostalgia is very, very much alive even in 2021, as all those who believe that the brand is gone forever will be in for a pleasant surprise here.

Please view this link on the FB Ambassador and Landmaster Fan Page. A very successful restoration effort posted on 26.02.2021 has had 101,552 views, 1.8 K likes, 100 shares and 60 comments within 48 hours as of now.

https://www.facebook.com/LandmasterAndAmbassadorFanClub

Ambassador and Landmaster Fans, Aficionados and Owners Club of India
Published 26 tSFebtpothotncsorrotcuaSerrym lftateS 2eut1f:gd44 ·
Restoration pictures by Member Mr Premlal for his 2006, 2000 DSZ Ambassador from a forgotten dusty car to its present showroom condition.
( Our congratulations to Mr Premlal- Admin)

This is the power of the 67 plus year old design (launched in the U.K. in 1954 as the Morris Oxford Series III) and the car that had multiple flaws and more added flaws, over the years, compounding and also multiplying the negative publicity that it received all through its glorious life span and even thereafter.

[Sanidhya mukund]

Honestly, I don’t think anyone will be able to relate to a car named Ambassador if it comes from a French manufacturer. The Ambassador that people are nostalgic about is a car made by Hindustan Motors with a vintage looking body. A random sedan from XYZ company cannot become “Ambassador”. Also, I don’t think that the new car will have the Ambassador’s quintessential qualities; easy repairability, cheap and ubiquitous spares, retro styling and basic construction.

The government fleet has now completely migrated to Ciaz, Innova, Safari and others of similar disposition. The taxi market has now moved on to efficient models like Dzire, WagonR, Xcent etc.
Besides, even if a car is named Ambassador, I don’t think these markets would ever buy a Citroen.
That only leaves us with the market that would have bought it for the nostalgia. But to appeal to this market, the car needs to have retro styling that would make it homologous to the original Ambassador. If this doesn’t happen, then they would launch a new car, maybe sell a few hundred units and if it fails to sell, they would end up killing the Ambassador brand.

Slightly off topic, but I sometimes feel that the Dzire is the spiritual successor of the Ambassador. Not only does it have most of its attributes , but also looks quite similar in my opinion. Look at this render by SRK and you’ll know what I’m talking about:

[ObsessedByFIAT]

Personally I relate to Citroen as a company which manufactures SUV and MUV (Cargo vans if you will). I might be wrong in thinking so, however, I am sure there are many others who think on similar lines. Moreover, an Ambassador had a strong cult following. Similar to the CE/AVL bullet fan following, there are these Ambassador/Premier Padmini loyalists, who won't compromise for anything less. These cars are legendary in thier own right.
Technology, form and function aside, reviving an old brand is a task in itself. Maruti could pull it off with thier thier Baleno, but a new entrant in the market, of which not many might have even heard off makes this a rather uphill task.
I am not against a company trying to revive a long lost brand, but then, please provide the same level of comfort as an Ambassador in your offering ( engine was anyways nothing to write home about, 1.8 Isuzu might be an exception, I am speaking in general terms)

[Nithesh_M]

Originally Posted by Nithesh_M

Hey if you can launch a City rival that underpins a 208 chassis, why not launch the 208 as an i20 rival instead? Atleast people are familiar with the 208 nameplate.

Meant the C3 here. Not the 208. These French brands are confusing lot.

The C3 is sub 4m. Perfectly rivals the i20.

[ashutoshb]

I would choose a retro design over a modern one, any day.

If I get something like this, below 10 lakhs, I am going to book two. One for my father and the other for my father in law

[CARDEEP]

Originally Posted by ashutoshb

I would choose a retro design over a modern one, any day.

Bentley Continental is another template for Retro-Modern Ambassador than any sharp looking executive saloon from Europe.

The Ambassador's nameplate carries certain image that sleek shaped sedans can never carry, especially when the brand ownership has changed.

[ashutoshb]

^
Agreed.

A retro modern Amby would pull more heartstrings than a City / Ciaz lookalike.

[volkman10]

The 'Ambassador' rendered:














Link

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by volkman10

The 'Ambassador' rendered:

That is about the least Ambassador-like thing I could imagine!

(Maybe that's a good thing?)