{{Infobox automobile | name = Premier Padmini | image = Premier Padmini.jpg | manufacturer = [[Premier Automobiles Limited]] | aka = Fiat 1100 Delight<br />Premier President | production = 1964–2001 | assembly = India: [[Kurla]], [[Mumbai]] | class = [[Compact car]] | body_style = 4-door [[Sedan (car)|saloon]] | related = [[Fiat 1100|Fiat 1100D]] | layout = [[FR layout]] | engine = {{ubl |1,089 cc ''Fiat 103'' [[Straight-four engine|I4]] |1,366 cc "PAD 137N" [[Diesel engine|diesel]] I4 }} | transmission = 4-speed [[Manual transmission|manual]] | wheelbase = {{convert|2340|mm|in|abbr=on}} | length = {{convert|3905|-|3940|mm|in|abbr=on}} | width = {{convert|1460|mm|in|abbr=on}} | height = {{convert|1470|mm|in|abbr=on}}<ref name="AR87">{{cite book | title = Automobil Revue 1987 | editor-last = Büschi | editor-first = Hans-Ulrich | publisher = Hallwag AG | location = Berne, Switzerland | language = German, French | page = 480 | volume = 82 |date=5 March 1987 | isbn = 3-444-00458-3 }}</ref> | predecessor = [[Fiat 1100]] | successor = [[Fiat 124#India|Premier 118NE]] | weight = {{convert|895|kg|lb|abbr=on}} | sp = uk }}
The '''Premier Padmini''' was a four-seat saloon manufactured in India from 1964 to 2001 by [[Premier Automobiles Limited]], a division of the [[Walchand group|Walchand Group]], under licence from [[Fiat]] and marketed initially as the ''Fiat 1100 Delight'' — and from 1974 as the ''Premier Padmini''. The Padmini's primary competitors in the Indian market were the [[Hindustan Ambassador]] and [[Standard Herald]]. This famous car<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.drivespark.com/four-wheelers/2014/a-tribute-to-the-premier-padmini-007886.html |title = The Premier Padmini - A Short Tribute To Our Old PAL - DriveSpark News}}</ref> ruled the Indian car market and its popularity peaked during 1970s and 80s. Many celebrities of the time<ref>{{cite web |url=https://mostlyeconomics.wordpress.com/2015/01/23/history-of-indias-premier-padmini-fiat-car/ |title = History of India’s Premier Padmini (Fiat) car.. {{!}} Mostly Economics}}</ref> including [[Rajnikanth]], [[Mammootty]], and [[Aamir Khan]], owned a Premier Padmini during its prime years. Known colloquially as the ''Pad'',<ref name="pad">{{cite news | title = Shedding Door Pulls, Mumbai Taxis Rattle Into History | newspaper = The New York Times | first = David | last = Shaftel | date = December 28, 2012 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/30/automobiles/shedding-door-pulls-mumbai-taxis-rattle-off.html?hpw}}</ref> or ''Fiat'' (since the Padmini was originally a Fiat car), the Padmini is named after a 14th-century [[Rajput]] [[Rani Padmini|princess]].<ref name="pad"/> Padmini translates to "she who sits on the lotus" and refers to the Goddess [[Lakshmi]]. It was also a common name for girls in India at the time.
==History== The [[Fiat 1100D]], based on the [[Fiat 1200]] GranLuce Berlina, debuted in India in 1964 with a carburetted 1,089 cc four-cylinder petrol engine — rather than the 1,221 cc engine fitted to the GranLuce in Italy. With a 10.8:1 compression ratio, it created {{convert|47|bhp|kW|0|abbr=on}} at 4,800 rpm with a maximum [[torque]] of {{convert|7.20|kgm|Nm lbft|0|abbr=on}} at 3,000 rpm. The original transmission was a four-speed manual gearbox (without synchronized first gear), which drove the rear wheels via a live rear axle. Its shifter was mounted on the left of the steering column. Weighing {{convert|895|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, its top speed was {{convert|140|km/h|mi/h|abbr=on}}.
Premier manufactured the Padmini at their [[Kurla]] plant in [[Bombay]] (now Mumbai) until they sold a majority stake to Fiat SpA in September 1997. The licensed vehicle was initially marketed as the Fiat 1100 Delight. For model year 1973, it was marketed as the Premier President and subsequently as the Premier Padmini. At its peak during the 1970s and 1980s, the car achieved immense popularity among youngsters, celebrities and women. Compared to the Hindustan Ambassador, it looked more modern, was more fuel-efficient and was very easy to drive.
By the early 1980s, engine power was reduced to {{cvt|42|bhp|kW|0}} (at 5,000 rpm) with a modified carburettor to make it more fuel efficient. Premier began to offer an [[Automobile air conditioning|air-conditioner]], leather upholstery, courtesy lights and tinted glass. These were considered luxuries in Indian cars at the time.
From the mid-1980s, with the advent of more modern, aesthetic and more fuel-efficient cars from [[Maruti Suzuki]], the popularity of the Padmini slowly began to wane. The [[Economic liberalisation in India|liberalisation of the Indian economy in 1991]], which allowed foreign car manufacturers to launch operations in India, began the end for the Padmini. In 1996, Premier tried to revive the car's sagging fortunes with an updated model. Named the Padmini S1, this had a more modern radiator grille, bucket seats, a [[Nissan]] floor-shift synchronised gearbox and a more powerful engine thanks to a [[Solex Carburetor|Solex]] carburetor and use of a thermostat-controlled electric fan with an output of {{convert|48|bhp|kW|0|abbr=on}}. A diesel variant, the 137D, was also introduced, with the hope of taking advantage of the rising popularity of diesel vehicles in India.<ref name="Car History 4U">{{cite web| title = History of Premier Automobiles | url = http://www.carhistory4u.com/the-last-100-years/car-manufacturers-by-country/india/premier-automobiles | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171014120907/http://www.carhistory4u.com/the-last-100-years/car-manufacturers-by-country/india/premier-automobiles | archive-date = 2017-10-14 | publisher = Form and Function | work = Car History 4 U }}</ref> Its engine was built under license from [[CMD – Costruzioni Motori Diesel S.p.A.|Fratelli Negri Macchine Diesel Sud (FNM)]], Italy, with a displacement of 1,366 cc and generating {{convert|45|bhp|kW|0|abbr=on}}. Its top speed was close to 140 km/h, and its [[fuel efficiency]] was 24 km/L. Production was shut down because of PAL's management problems.
While all cars built by Premier were four-door sedans, small companies such as Starline also offered other bodywork, mainly in the form of estates.<ref name="AR87"/>
In the 2010s numerous examples served as [[taxicab]]s in Mumbai; known colloquially as "Kaali Peeli" (Black and Yellow). However, these were being phased out due to regulations enacted in 2013 by the government disallowing vehicles over 20 years old.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mumbai's Premier Padmini taxis reach the end of the road|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-mumbais-premier-padmini-taxis-reach-the-end-of-the-road-1869165|website=DNA India|access-date=15 August 2014|date=3 August 2013}}</ref> The Premier Padmini taxis were finally taken off Mumbai roads on 30 October 2023.<ref>{{cite web|title=Good-bye Kaali-Peeli:Mumbai's iconic ‘Premier Padmini’ taxis go off the road|url= https://www.livemint.com/news/india/goodbye-kaali-peeli-mumbais-iconic-premier-padmini-taxis-go-off-the-road-11698549875764.html|website=mint|access-date=30 October 2023|date=29 October 2023}}</ref>
==Models== *Premier Padmini BE Deluxe *Premier Padmini BU Deluxe *Premier Padmini 137D S1 *Premier Padmini Starline 'Safari' Station Wagon *Premier President (Diesel)
==Gallery== <gallery widths=200 heights=140> PadminiPatna1.JPG|Premier Padmini Fiat 1100.jpg|Early model Fiat 1100 interior PremierPadminiInterior gobeirne.jpg|A heavily decorated dashboard in a Mumbai taxi. Note the left-handed column shift for the manual transmission. PremierPadminiTaxi DavidWilmot.jpg|Premier Padmini taxi, [[Mumbai]] Fiat 2018.jpg|Premier Padmini in [[Hyderabad]] </gallery>
==See also== *[[Premier Automobiles Limited]] *[[Premier Padmini (film)|Premier Padmini]], a Kannada language film of same name *[[Pannaiyarum Padminiyum]], a Tamil language film in which the story is about the car and a family *[[Padmini (2023 film)|Padmini]], a Malayalam language film in which the protagonist's life takes an ugly turn due to an incident, in which the car has been used
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20000818065915/http://www.cybersteering.com/cruise/feature/niaz/cars4.html Premier Padminis at Sholavaram race track]
[[Category:Cars of India]] [[Category:Cars introduced in 1964]] [[Category:Cars discontinued in 2001]] [[Category:Walchand group]]