Premier Padmini History

The Padmini traces its origins to a licensing agreement Premier signed with Fiat, launching the Fiat 1100D (badged initially as the 'Fiat 1100 Delight') at its Kurla plant in Bombay in 1964. The car used a carburetted 1,089 cc four-cylinder petrol engine and a body derived from the Fiat 1200 GranLuce Berlina. Premier renamed the car the Padmini in 1974, giving India's most popular compact a distinctly Indian identity.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s the Padmini dominated Indian roads, its rear-wheel-drive mechanicals and durable construction making it the default choice for Mumbai's yellow-and-black taxi fleet. With the Hindustan Ambassador as its main rival, the Padmini occupied the heart of the Indian car market for nearly three decades — a remarkable run for what was fundamentally a 1950s Italian design.

The liberalisation of the Indian economy in 1991 and the arrival of the modern, fuel-efficient Maruti Suzuki range began the Padmini's long decline. Premier sold a majority stake in its Kurla plant to Fiat SpA in September 1997, and production of the Padmini finally ended in 2001 after 37 years and hundreds of thousands of units. Its silhouette as Mumbai's taxi endured on the city's streets for years afterward.