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Hindustan Motors

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Hindustan Motor Limited
Company typePublic Company (BSE: 500500)
IndustryAutomotive
Founded1942
HeadquartersKolkata India
Key people
Uttam Bose, (MD)
ProductsAutomobiles
Automotive parts
Revenue₹ 7.79 billion (2011)
Websitewww.hindmotor.com

Hindustan Motors is an Indian automotive manufacturer based in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It is a part of the Birla Technical Services industrial group. The company was the largest car manufacturer in India before the rise of Maruti Udyog.

Hindustan Motors was the producer of the Ambassador motorcar, which was once a mainstream car India, based on 1956 Morris Oxford series III and was in production from 1957 until 2014. Production of the Ambassador ceased on 24 May 2014.[1]

One of the original three car manufacturers in India, founded in 1942 by Mr. B.M.Birla,[2] it was a leader in car sales until the 1980s, when the industry was opened up from protection. All through its history, the company has depended on government patronage for its sales and for survival by eliminating competition. Manoj Jha was the Managing Director and R. Yeshwanth. Manoj Jha stepped down from the post on 21 February 2012.[3] It began in Port Okha near Gujarat; in 1948, it moved to West Bengal. The place is now called Hindmotor.

History

Hindustan Motors Limited (HML), India's pioneering automobile manufacturing company. It was established just before Indian independence, in 1942 by Mr. B. M. Birla of the industrialist Birla family. Commencing operations in a small assembly plant in Port Okha near Gujarat, the manufacturing facilities later moved to Uttarpara, West Bengal in 1948, where it began the production of the Ambassador. The HM-Mitsubishi Motors Plant is in Tiruvallur near Chennai.

General Motors joint venture

Hindustan and General Motors have had several tie-ups in the post independence era to produce Bedford Trucks, Vauxhall Motors (1980 to 1990), Allison Transmissions and off-road equipment. In 1994, GM and Hindustan (C K Birla) formed a 50-50 joint venture, General Motors India to make Opel Astra cars which turned out to a to the non-cooperation from General Motors. The production of Astra was wound up within a few years. GM bought out the Halol, Gujarat, plant from Hindustan in 1999.[4]

On 21 February 2012, Mr. Manoj Jha, the Managing Director stepped down from his post. The decision was unanimously accepted by the board of directors.[5]

Earthmoving Equipment Division (HMEED)

Hindustan motors used to make earthmovers, initially in collaboration with Terex, USA and Fermac UK; and from 1984 with Caterpillar Inc. at the HMEED plants in Thiruvallur, near Chennai and Pondicherry. It was sold to Caterpillar in 2000 and HM quit the earthmover business. HML continue to be a joint venture partner with Caterpillar in Hindustan Power Plus, which manufactures diesel engines and generator sets.

Hindustan Tractors

The company began in 1959 as Tractors and Bulldozers Private Ltd and imported tractors. Manufacturing of tractors began in 1963, in collaboration Motokov-Praha (Zetor) of Czechoslovakia, and was known as Hindustan Tractors & Bulldozers Ltd.[6] In 1967, it became Hindustan Tractors Ltd. The tractors were based on the Zetor tractor design and sold under the Hindustan brand. In 1978, the Gujarat, Indian government formed Gujarat Tractors from the ailing company. In 1999, Mahindra Tractors purchased 60% of the company, and in 2001, completed purchasing the rest of the company, renaming it Mahindra Gujarat Tractors Ltd.[7]

Isuzu Joint Venture

Hindustan formed a collaboration with Isuzu to manufacture engines and transmission for the Contessa in late 1980s at Pithampur near Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Initially the joint venture made a 4-cylinder G180Z 1.8L petrol engines and 5-speed transmissions. Later, a 2.0L Isuzu diesel engine was added to the production line to power the Contessa and the Ambassador. The technical collaboration lasted from 1983 to 1993. The Indore plant has since expanded to manufacture engines for a number of other manufacturers like Opel and Mahindra.

HML also assembled and sold a small number of Isuzu F series - JCS trucks in India in the early-mid 1980s. These trucks came from the factory with a fully built metal cabin which was not common with Tata and Ashok Leyland trucks at the time. They were well known for their reliability and fuel consumption, but were discontinued mainly due to falling sales poor service facilities and since HML could not sell them for an affordable price.[8]

Mitsubishi Joint Venture

Hindustan has a joint venture with Mitsubishi that started in 1998. The plant is located in Thiruvallur, Tamil Nadu. Now only (Pajero Sport) is manufactured. In India Mitsubishi had ruled the automotive industry in 2000 with the Mitsubishi Lancer Slxd diesel 2.0l engine and slxi 1.5l petrol with features of the future(stereo system with cassette and cd change player, automatic controllable/foldable mirrors, leather seats, cup holders, defoggers, 5-speed manual refined gear box, rally based body chassis as it was based on the legendary Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution which made Indians to trail it but as time went by, their sales leaped down as wrong choice of engines to wrong choice of cars were launched. But since they launched Pajero sport in 2012, Mitsubishi has managed to retain their fame. This new SUV hosts a 2.5l DI-D Variable Geometrical Turbo Diesel engine mated to a 5-speed AT or MT. But 4WD is available only on the manual one and 4x2 is offered on the automatic version. Though Pajero sport was launched in 2010 worldwide it still has that freshness and the tinge of exquisite. The pajero sport had a cosmetic update in late 2014 with revamped bumpers, front grille, tailgates and interiors too. Mitsubishi Pajero Sport is competitor to SUVs like Toyota Fortuner, Ford Endeavour etc...

Discontinued Models

Current Models

  • Mitsubishi Outlander
    Mitsubishi Outlander
  • Mitsubishi Pajero
    Mitsubishi Pajero
  • Mitsubishi Pajero Sport
    Mitsubishi Pajero Sport
  • Mitsubishi Lancer
    Mitsubishi Lancer

Hindustan Models

Discontinued models

Plants

References

  1. ^ "Hindustan Motors terminates 240 managerial staff". Indian Express. 7 June 2014.
  2. ^ "Hindustan Motors map, Hindustan Motors india, Hindustan Motors Limited, First Indian Car Company". Business.mapsofindia.com. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  3. ^ "Hindustan Motors MD Jha resigns". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 23 February 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2012. {{cite news}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
  4. ^ "GM Motors, General Motors India, General Motors, General Motors Corporation". Business.mapsofindia.com. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  5. ^ "Manoj Jha quits as Hind Motors' MD; Co reports net loss". http://www.thehindubusinessline.com. Hindu Business Line. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  6. ^ http://www.taa.org.uk/southeast/Singh.htm
  7. ^ http://iocg.ignou.ac.in/wiki/images/e/ee/MITI-023_B6CS4.pdf
  8. ^ "Isuzu JCS Truck". Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  9. ^ ROLLOVER CRASHWORTHINESS OF A RURAL TRANSPORT VEHICLE USING MADYMO
  10. ^ Hindustan Motors slams brakes on RTV
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