What happens when you have a tried and tested vehicle on the Indian roads? You use the platform and try to enter every possible segment. This is the case with the well known Hindustan Motors Ambassador. The company tried to enter the station wagon through an extended HM Amby. Well, about that we’ll talk some other day. Today we are going to talk about the Hindustan Motors Veer, a pick-up truck based on the Ambassador. Yes, that’s true. HM did try to tap in every segment. Was it a success? Or was it a failure? Let’s find out.
2011 – HM Launches The Veer
A pick-up truck based on the platform of HM Ambassador was launched back in August 2011. Yes, this was just a few years back and a few years before the company was going to cease to exist. Let’s not dwell into what is gone.
This pick-up truck was a revival of the HM Porter that used to exist in the 1980s. Porter was also not able to achieve the fame Amby had.
Well, HM Veer was a Small Commercial Vehicle (SCV) with a capacity of 800kgs. So you would have a car-like experience in a pick-up truck. The truck came with two engine options: A BS3-compliant Diesel engine and BS4-compliant CNG version. The Veer was not launched pan-India though. Initially, it was launched in Kolkata and the company was planning to increase the sales area gradually.
The diesel engine is a 1.5-litre mill producing 35hp of power and the CNG variant is equipped with a 1.8-litre engine capable of producing 55hp of power. It is a point to note that the Veer came with a Drive-Away Chassis(DAC) which means that the trailer can be left behind and the truck can be driven like a car.
The company’s say on the launch of Veer
The initial price of the Amby turned pick-up truck was ₹3.30lakhs. At the launch of Veer, Mr Manoj Jha, M.D. HM said, “We have honoured our commitment by launching VEER. More new vehicles will follow suit. These will come both from our Uttarpara plant in West Bengal, where we manufacture the iconic Ambassador and other vehicles, and our Chennai facility where we build the Mitsubishi range of vehicles. Our bouquet of offerings is set to expand at a fast pace due to our reinforced emphasis on new product development”.
HM Veer’s feasibility was great. Availability of spare parts and low maintainence cost could have been the USPs of the pick-up truck. But why did it fail in the race against the likes of Tata Ace?
Simple, Competition was better!
Tata Ace, the ‘ace’ rival of the Veer was simply more powered. It was powered by a 1.4-litre engine capable of producing 70hp of power, simply double of the Veer. But not only that, HM was already about to end its production soon. So the company was not able to launch the Veer across India. It was limited to a few cities thus we will never be able to know whether the truck would have made it big or not. People who prefer a commercial vehicle for commercial use will definitely want a more commercial vehicle. This is where the HM Veer lacked.
A fun read: Hindustan Avigo: The lesser-known Ambassador
It was more of a family vehicle than a commercial vehicle. The engine and capacity were not the USPs of this truck. The USP of the Veer was that it could seat 3 people at the front!
This is a classic example of overusing a legend to lure in customers and fail. Amby will always remain at the top of charts but the same can never be said for the Veer. Sorry, Veer! What are your views about the Amby turned pick-up truck? Let us know in the comments section below.
Also read: HM Ambassador: India’s Very Own Lal Batti Wali Gaadi
Image Source(s) – [1]
