Chennai: Hindustan Motors has launched an Ambassador variant in Chennai that runs on liquid petroleum gas (LPG). Called the LPG Ambassador, the company expects to sell at least 1,500 of these cars that run on LPG or CNG.

Ashwini Dubey, executive vice president, Hindustan Motors said, "We are the first company to get the Bharat Stage III certificate. The new Ambassador 1.5 LPG will be targeted at taxi operators for intra city travel from all over Chennai and Tamil Nadu."

The new ambassador LPG comes with an ex-showroom price tag of Rs3.53 lakh and as an inaugural offer, the company has announced a price of Rs2.99 lakh for the first 100 cars. "If the scheme, which is valid till June 30, goes well, we will look at offering an intermediate price," said Dubey.

HM has been introducing environment-friendly vehicles run on CNG and LPG in the National Capital Region, Delhi and in Kolkata. Dubey said, "Ambassador is the most-suited for alternative fuels. Its three box design ensures the maximum safety of passengers in case of any unforeseen circumstances."

Last year HM sold 15,000 Ambassador cars, including 300 cars run alternative fuel. "This year, we target to sell 1,500 cars with alternative fuels like CNG and LPG," Dubey said.

He said the LPG Ambassador was Bharat Stage-III compliant and came fitted with equipment made by BRC Auto of Italy. He also said that Ambassador cars that run on petrol could be retrofitted with the LPG equipment and a compatible engine, for about Rs1 lakh.