A 20-foot white stretch limousine, India’s longest, may soon be off Mumbai roads. Yesterday, the Regional Transport Office (RTO) confiscated the car, a converted Hyundai Sonata, as it did not have requisite permissions.
“We will examine the car and if rules have been violated, it will have to be converted back to the original Sonata,” said Ashok V Giri, regional transport officer, Tardeo.
The six-seater car was modified by Parekh Coach Builders (PCB) for Rs 25 lakh and is owned by an Andheri businessman, Pradeep Thambi. It has leather interiors co-ordinated panels and wooden trims, a state-of-the-art music system with an LCD screen, a glass separating the driver from passengers and a hands-free intercom system.
According to the RTO rules, permissions and clearances have to be taken before any car is modified. The Sonata has therefore been detained under section 52 and 114 of the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Act for making alterations in the original vehicle.
It was registered at the RTO in November 2001 as a Hyundai Gold Sonata Saloon and according to RTO records the changes to it have not been registered. “The owner does not have the permission for the conversion and modification,” said an RTO official.
Said Thambi who is in the aircraft chartering business, “We have applied for the permissions and will get it in a few days.
We have not violated any law.” Thambi uses the limo to ferry VVIP passengers from the airport to the city.
Said Shreyans Parekh of PCB, who is also held accountable, “This particular converted limo is a prototype and we will be sending it to New Delhi and then to the Automobile Research Association of India for approval of the design.
We have started correspondence and the process takes a few months, so at the moment we have all the permissions and we have not violated any law. A few years ago, Parekh had designed an Ambassador limo.
However, Parekh ruled out converting it back to a Sonata, saying that he would get the required clearances from the RTO soon.
Outside India
Extensive limousine conversions have been
made on several luxury brands including, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Cadillac, Chrysler, Hummer,
Infiniti, Jaguar, Lexus, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz and Rolls Royce.
Vital Stats
Rs 6 lakh
Cost in November 2001
Rs 25 lakh
Cost after modifications
Modifications
Wheelbase, length of the car
There are no official restrictions on the length of a car in Mumbai. But the owner has to seek permission before increasing it.