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| Thursday, 1 July 2004 |
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Indian PM shuns predecessor's BMWs, opts for austere domestic motor NEW DELHI, Wednesday (AFP) India's new Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, known for his austere ways, has shunned custom-made BMWs ordered by his predecessor and opted to ride in domestically-made Ambassador cars, a report said Tuesday. The previous government spent more than 1.3 million dollars to buy for then prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee six bullet-proof BMWs featuring satellite phones, fax machines and other hi-tech gadgetry. Singh refused appeals by his security team to use the BMWs, saying he felt more comfortable in the classic Ambassadors, which are also bullet-proof, The Asian Age newspaper said, quoting government sources. It said the government had yet to decide what to do with the German-made luxury cars. The staid but solid Ambassador car was modeled on the 1957 British Morris Oxford and was ubiquitous on India's potholed roads until a decade ago when Singh, then finance minister, opened the country to imports. The Ambassador remains the standard for Indian politicians, who are often seen switching to flashier cars when they are not on official business. |
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