[ti:Production of India's Ambassador Car Halted] [ar:Jonathan Evans] [al:Technology Report] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]From VOA Learning English, [00:01.22]this is the Technology Report. [00:04.23]The Ambassador automobile is the most famous [00:08.48]and longest made Indian car. [00:11.74]Hindustan Motors released the first one to the market in 1958. [00:18.61]The car soon became known as the King of Indian Roads. [00:24.08]But now the long-time car leader will take a back seat. [00:29.90]Hindustan Motors says it has suspended production of the Ambassador. [00:35.77]Many Ambassador supporters fear it will never return. [00:41.23]The box-shaped car was based on a car design [00:45.39]by Britain's Morris Oxford. [00:48.27]Indians call the car the "Amby". [00:51.62]The Amby has a strong steel body. [00:54.51]The car makes it through very hilly areas and bad roads with ease. [01:00.95]Singh is a taxi driver. [01:03.74]He says he would not use any other vehicle in his work. [01:08.63]He says everyone likes it, it is a very comfortable car. [01:13.55]He has driven only the Ambassador for 50 years. [01:17.86]Mr. Singh was very sad when Hindustan Motors [01:21.81]announced the end of production for the Ambassador. [01:26.23]The company says its decision [01:28.51]is the result of low demand and lack of money. [01:32.32]The auto market in India did not get seriously competitive [01:37.49]until the middle of 1980s. [01:41.28]Japanese car maker, Suzuki, joined within an Indian company [01:45.99]to produce a small, low cost vehicle. [01:50.25]But the Ambassador remained the car of the rich and the powerful. [01:55.21]However, in 1991, India further opened its economy to foreign investors. [02:03.32]Many international auto companies began to offer buyers newer, [02:08.14]more fuel-efficient vehicles. [02:11.19]Other companies offered sport utility vehicles [02:14.48]to a rising Indian middle class. [02:17.21]The Ambassador maker found it increasingly difficult to find buyers. [02:23.45]Diksha Pande is a young professional in New Delhi. [02:28.32]She remembers an orange and brown Ambassador her grandfather owned. [02:33.23]But she has never thought of buying an Ambassador for herself. [02:38.16]"They are a bit retro, so they feel a little outdated, [02:42.01]and I don't think they will have the same amount of power [02:44.96]and swiftness that you want in a car in today's day and age. [02:48.62]I like SUVs because they are big powerful cars. [02:53.15]And power is important in a car," said Pande. [02:55.69]Hindustan Motors made few changes to the Ambassador design since its beginning. [03:01.94]The Indian government continued using the car until ten years ago. [03:07.28]Many taxi drivers like the Ambassador because repairs are generally low-cost. [03:14.46]It was even rated the best taxi by the British television show Top Gear. [03:21.05]But Amby's sales records are not good. [03:24.96]Last year, dealers sold only 2200 of them out of 1.8 million car sales. [03:33.08]There are reports about search for new Amby investor. [03:37.52]But auto experts say they do not believe India's Ambassador will return. [03:44.16]And that's the VOA Learning English Technology Report. [03:48.52]For more technology stories, go to our website 51voa.com. [03:56.49]I'm Jonathan Evans. [03:58.82]¸ü¶àÌýÁ¦Çë·ÃÎÊ51VOA.COM