My first taxi ride in India was in a Hindustan Motors Limited Ambassador. The Ambassador is based on a late fifties era British car called the Morris Oxford Series III. HML has been shipping the car with very little (external) changes since 1958. As a result, the highly iconic Ambassador is widely considered The Definitive Indian Car. HML still sells many new Ambassadors even to this day and there are many older Ambasadors providing reliable service to thier owners.
Ambassadors are built like tanks. Considering their track record, and the incremental improvements made over the years it would probably be pretty safe to say that they are the most "Indianized" cars on the market. India may be developing rapidly, but the fact still remains that there are still plenty of rugged areas that can put harsh demands on a car. Even today the Ambassador seems to be one of the best suited cars for many parts of India.
While I toured India, I road in a newer Tata Indica. It was serviceable, but I had the impression at many times that it was rapidly being worn-out and beaten down by the Indian roads. The Indica is more like a Japanese car. Sure, it's more modern in design, but it also seemed light weight and somewhat weaker than an Ambassador as a result. The drivers I spoke to had mixed opinions on the newer cars vs. the Ambassador. They all had a lot of respect for the Ambassador, though.
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