Kolkata: Hindustan Motors Limited on Monday announced that they have developed a Bharat Stage III (BS III) compliant engine for the Ambassador. Though the BS III emission norms come into effect from 2005, HM has successfully developed the new engine at its Pithampur plant, in association with Robert Bosch India Ltd, much ahead of the deadline.

"Hindustan Motors has always been environment-conscious. We pioneered alternate fuel technology by launching Ambassador in its CNG and LPG variants. Today, we have taken another step forward by developing the BS III compliant engine in-house. The engine clearing developmental tests for the BS III with good margins, we are gearing up to start research for a BS IV compliant engine," said Mr B. S. Khargonkar, Sr. Vice President, Hindustan Motors Limited.

With this development, HM joins an extremely select group of environment conscious Indian automotive majors who have developed products to meet these yet-to-be-implemented norms. As an eco-responsive corporate citizen, HM''s Pithampur plant has been continuously engaged in R&D to manufacture engines with low emissions for the Ambassador. In fact, in 1997, Hindustan Motors had been one of the first automobile companies in India to satisfy BS II norms, by introducing the Multi Point Fuel Injection (MPFI) engine in the Ambassador. A pioneer in the field of alternative fuel technology, HM offers environment friendly CNG and LPG variants of the Ambassador. The engines for these variants were developed through in-house R&D at the Pithampur plant.