Fiat Linea ACI COTY

9th January 2009, 23:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by muneemmk

In my openion The ICOTY Award was clearly based on some red Ghandi notes. The Car is totally worth the award,but this early ?

It is truly pathetic. This farce goes on to show how much (dis)respect the publication has for its readers. They had little credibility earlier, but now have zero credibility.

ahuja365 · 10th January 2009, 02:14

I respect the decision and thank god they did not give it to the honda city as the car lacks quality,equipment and is priced high.Fiat linea deserves the crown but i also want to state that fiat has won the maximum european car of the year but very few of those got success in the market.Lets hope that does not happen with the linea as fiat has given us a great product.

ritz830 · 10th January 2009, 07:25

The only problem with Fiat Palio is because its too complex. If the mechanic in India tries to fix some electrical issue, he unknowingly screws up other equipment. The waiting time of 15 - 30 days frustrates users who have single car.

greatDrive · 10th January 2009, 10:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eddy

I am fascinated by the forum here loves Fiat but general public hates it.

On this forum also, there are more haters of fiat then lovers.

autocarcr · 10th January 2009, 10:54

Critics! Hmph! And i thought everyone appreciated the fact that it became ICOTY- instead of complaining why Linea got ICOTY why doesn't everyone try to think up another car which deserves the post?

Don't talk about the City 2008! It doesn't even have a CD player! And considering Linea has been generating around 1 lakh posts and over 2 lakh views in beyond 6 forum threads for over 2 years- I think it does deserve the ICOTY! So stop bickering and start enjoying the Linea!

Linea____________________________________________a dmire

AUTOCARCR
Fiat Fan

P.S. Muneem when did you become a traitor-? I think you'll see the other side of Fiat after the launch! I hope so atleast after that harrowing experience at YOUR dealership at COCHI! TC!

drkunaldas · 10th January 2009, 13:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by autocarcr

Critics! Hmph! And i thought everyone appreciated the fact that it became ICOTY- instead of complaining why Linea got ICOTY why doesn't everyone try to think up another car which deserves the post?

Don't talk about the City 2008! It doesn't even have a CD player! And considering Linea has been generating around 1 lakh posts and over 2 lakh views in beyond 6 forum threads for over 2 years- I think it does deserve the ICOTY! So stop bickering and start enjoying the Linea!

Linea____________________________________________a dmire

No body would have a problem in including linea for ICOTY 2008 had it been launched in 2008. even if it was launched on 31st december (like i20 which was launched in the last days of dec). The only point is that we should have a water-tight criterion for inclusion in ICOTY which should not be variable from year to year - like officially launched in public domain. if there is any deviation, then suspicions are bound to arise. if linea manages to get launched on jan 14th, why not include in next yrs COTY. whom does it fear - TATA NANO / MAHINDRA XYLO / HONDA JAZZ?
neither i am or any other person is against fiat or Linea. let the best car win.

Though i am not a great fan of Honda, but to say that honda city does not deserve the ICOTY as it is does not have a CD player, this argument does not hold merit IMO. the car with best in engine / driving / ride / comfort should win.

MustangMan · 10th January 2009, 15:07

Btw it won the ACI COTY and NOT the ICOTY..... the Indian Car of the Year awards are judged by all car magazines (over a year in publication).

vivekji05 · 11th January 2009, 07:00

The Linea was initially supposed to be launched in December 2008. Later FIAT sent a mail stating that 'They dont feel like celebrating in the sorry state of matter in Mumbai and the launch has been postponed to 14th January '. So the Linea clearly is not a car launched in the 2008 calendar year and including it in the list of contenders is unfair.

And asking the viewers to vote for a car that they have never experienced is even more stupid. Just because AUTOCAR got it for testing in 2008 doesn't count it. If it is 'homologated in 2008' that forms the criteria, then the Nano should have been included as well, because the production has already begun.

The Linea may be a good product and considered fantastic value, (I wonder how, as the prices are yet to be finalized) and no offense for the FIAT fans here. It is just that ACI has done a favour for FIAT by bending the rules of their COTY awards and got our wrath.

aaggoswami · 11th January 2009, 08:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by k_ajay

Sorry Aaggo, but this is also not digestable either, and is quite contradicting your own point here.

If you are claiming the Linea's rear seat as poor compared to rivals, don't you think the A-Star is very very poor in its rear seat space, shoulder room, small rear windows and miniature boot??

How can this then qualify as a contender for ACI COTY any more than the Fiat Linea can be?? I sure agree Vista and i20 are good contenders, but the A-Star is simply ridiculous and shouldn't be considered just since it's new, its a Maruti vehicle and claims a mileage of around 19kmpl.

There are many reasons for this :

1) The way the Indian engineers are involved in development of A-star and I have read that this car was developed within a short time frame.

2) Price. Maruti is not asking Rs. 6-7 lakh for this car and trying to sell in premium zone like I20 or Fabia.

3) Date of launch : Highly debated, but I suppose we know it all.

4) Market that is being trageted. A-star is not in the market where the car will be chauffeur driven. May it could be true ( I have seen people hiring chauffeur for M800 and the chauffeur enjoys a better ride upfront ), but its not as wide spread as in the segment of Linea. For a car this costly, the space should be more atleast for the passengers.

5) Engine. A-star has a nice engine that is also lightweight. Dry weight is just 47kg. Its a new generation engine and an improvement over one of the best engines made by man i.e. the G-series ( IMO ). A-star is not a shortcut here, but Linea is.

6) A.S & S. There are many threads for Fiat A.S & S. I had mentioned somewhere, I dont remember in which thread, but a person buys a car to use and not to put it up in museum.

To me Linea is not a package worth more than 6.5 at the most OTR. May be less considering the above factors.

To me COTY is a car that as a complete package is good for the end user in more than one way. If you have fantastic engine, but a dealership experience that is going down and the car itself is underequipped ( G3HC ), then also the car is not worth COTY from any institution.

nkrishnap · 11th January 2009, 12:00

OT: Fun very much intended

Hope Fiat starts a charity organization soon and gift away lineas for free

RX135 · 11th January 2009, 13:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

To me Linea is not a package worth more than 6.5 at the most OTR. May be less considering the above factors.

I look forward to the day when you start building and selling cars. Trust me, I'll be your first customer if you are going to price them so well.

On second thoughts, I am not sure how long would your company last

1100D · 11th January 2009, 13:30

Is it strange that a car thats not even out in the market at this point in 2009 is a COTY in 2008?

Nope, not at all. Apart from a select few who can see through it, there are countless others who would fall for it.

Am I complaining that my beloved Fiat, seems to be a party to this, in tie up with my favourite ACI? Hell No!

We all know that rules are written to best suit the interest of the writer. We have seen many such rules in history (of not only car makers in our great country), I did not complain then, why should I now?!

iraghava · 11th January 2009, 14:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1100D

We all know that rules are written to best suit the interest of the writer. We have seen many such rules in history (of not only car makers in our great country), I did not complain then, why should I now?!

Actually, I think the basic cause of this outburst (at least for me) is the fact that if the leading Automotive magazine in the country is willing to bend the rules to make a certain manufacturer win, what happens to the credibility of the whole automotive journalism sector?? No that it was something to talk about in the first place but incidents like these just seem to reinforce our suspicion that if you have the money any car can be made to win the award.

raul · 11th January 2009, 15:48

This should not be surprising, most of the industry mags not only in the auto sector are driven by marketing, hell even some of the mainline papers are, and not editorial so the edit teams have limited say in how things should be. That's why we have very litte criticism, apart from on forums like these.

This award will be a handy but limited marketing aid for Fiat. I think we have a couple of folks from magazines posting here, perhaps they can tell us more.

SkyWalker · 11th January 2009, 16:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

To me Linea is not a package worth more than 6.5 at the most OTR. May be less considering the above factors.

LOL!

Yes, may be to me a C class is worth about 10L at the most OTR.

Before passing judgments like this you should see the car, and compare the competition and then decide.

Are you aware that an Octavia is selling close to 13L on road?
Fiesta which is a size smaller sells for 8-9L on road!
Dezire, which has cramped interiors sells for 7L on road

10th January 2009, 02:14	#77
ahuja365 BHPian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Jamshedpur Posts: 216 Thanked: 16 Times	I respect the decision and thank god they did not give it to the honda city as the car lacks quality,equipment and is priced high.Fiat linea deserves the crown but i also want to state that fiat has won the maximum european car of the year but very few of those got success in the market.Lets hope that does not happen with the linea as fiat has given us a great product.
	() Thanks

10th January 2009, 07:25	#78
ritz830 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: chennai Posts: 355 Thanked: 4 Times	The only problem with Fiat Palio is because its too complex. If the mechanic in India tries to fix some electrical issue, he unknowingly screws up other equipment. The waiting time of 15 - 30 days frustrates users who have single car.
	() Thanks

10th January 2009, 10:54	#80
autocarcr BANNED Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Chennai Posts: 104 Thanked: Once	Lineadmire! Critics! Hmph! And i thought everyone appreciated the fact that it became ICOTY- instead of complaining why Linea got ICOTY why doesn't everyone try to think up another car which deserves the post? Don't talk about the City 2008! It doesn't even have a CD player! And considering Linea has been generating around 1 lakh posts and over 2 lakh views in beyond 6 forum threads for over 2 years- I think it does deserve the ICOTY! So stop bickering and start enjoying the Linea! Linea____________________________________________a dmire AUTOCARCR Fiat Fan P.S. Muneem when did you become a traitor-? I think you'll see the other side of Fiat after the launch! I hope so atleast after that harrowing experience at YOUR dealership at COCHI! TC!
	() Thanks

10th January 2009, 15:07	#82
MustangMan BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: New Delhi/Indore Posts: 231 Thanked: 9 Times	Btw it won the ACI COTY and NOT the ICOTY..... the Indian Car of the Year awards are judged by all car magazines (over a year in publication).
	() Thanks

11th January 2009, 07:00	#83
vivekji05 BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Ernakulam Posts: 277 Thanked: 310 Times	The Linea was initially supposed to be launched in December 2008. Later FIAT sent a mail stating that 'They dont feel like celebrating in the sorry state of matter in Mumbai and the launch has been postponed to 14th January '. So the Linea clearly is not a car launched in the 2008 calendar year and including it in the list of contenders is unfair. And asking the viewers to vote for a car that they have never experienced is even more stupid. Just because AUTOCAR got it for testing in 2008 doesn't count it. If it is 'homologated in 2008' that forms the criteria, then the Nano should have been included as well, because the production has already begun. The Linea may be a good product and considered fantastic value, (I wonder how, as the prices are yet to be finalized) and no offense for the FIAT fans here. It is just that ACI has done a favour for FIAT by bending the rules of their COTY awards and got our wrath.
	() Thanks

11th January 2009, 12:00	#85
nkrishnap Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 3,983 Thanked: 7,405 Times View My Garage	OT: Fun very much intended Hope Fiat starts a charity organization soon and gift away lineas for free
	() Thanks

11th January 2009, 13:30	#87
1100D Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Calcutta Posts: 4,390 Thanked: 4,079 Times View My Garage	Is it strange that a car thats not even out in the market at this point in 2009 is a COTY in 2008? Nope, not at all. Apart from a select few who can see through it, there are countless others who would fall for it. Am I complaining that my beloved Fiat, seems to be a party to this, in tie up with my favourite ACI? Hell No! We all know that rules are written to best suit the interest of the writer. We have seen many such rules in history (of not only car makers in our great country), I did not complain then, why should I now?!
	() Thanks

11th January 2009, 15:48	#89
raul BHPian Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Pune Posts: 920 Thanked: 372 Times	This should not be surprising, most of the industry mags not only in the auto sector are driven by marketing, hell even some of the mainline papers are, and not editorial so the edit teams have limited say in how things should be. That's why we have very litte criticism, apart from on forums like these. This award will be a handy but limited marketing aid for Fiat. I think we have a couple of folks from magazines posting here, perhaps they can tell us more.
	() Thanks