[ObsessedByFIAT]

Do I see a third row sitting? (Third pic above) ..Was the previous gen a 5+2 seater?
The spy pics do look good and with a 1.3 MJD I would think the Rio can a be a capable car provided it is priced right!

[SiddVish]

Come on guys, cut them some slack.
I've seen a few of these on Bangalore roads and honestly they don't look all that bad - granted the exteriors look a generation old and interiors are spartan but, considering in these spy pics they've taken the pains to completely cover up the interiors, i'm guessing there is an improvement there, a step in the right direction
If only they could hire some ace designer, rework all the panels to bring it into the 21st century and somehow absorb the initial costs of doing that, I think they'd make up the costs by selling millions ( didn't Tata do this with the original indica ? )!
If on the technical front these cars are reliable and have good sales and service, as a teenager i'd love to get a 4x4 at a price just higher than a hatch :P

Just a thought but, maybe we 18-25s are their target market
-Not too much money
-Brand doesn't matter
-Just need a reliable car that my dad won't drive

[mayankk]

All because of the failed backup from premier.
I SO want this one to get premier up and about.
Projectors and alloys?Nice.

But as things go, we have more threads on the rio, than rios ive seen on the road.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

This is the problem with Premier. The brand doesn't hold strong value at all, and people will walk away from a Premier product, however good it is, if there is a car that offers the same. Even if it's more expensive than the Rio.

Are you suggesting that the mass market should trust a brand that gypped thousands of customers of their booking amounts?

Originally Posted by mac187

I feel a reliable engine is the only way Rio can claim its contention in the current market.

Well, the Fiat engine did nothing to the sales of the Punto or Linea. End of the day, the customer wants a trustworthy brand + solid product. The Premier Rio is neither. Additionally, the Rio is the only 15 year old product in the 6 - 7 lakh segment and honestly, outdated by current standards.

Considering that the base Rio costs 6 lakhs OTR, the diesel will be 7 (going up to 8 for the fully loaded). I can think of far better engineered & contemporary cars for this kind of money.

Originally Posted by mayankk

But as things go, we have more threads on the rio, than rios ive seen on the road.

[Turbokick]

Oh god !
Again multijet ?
Thank god HM doesn't have any pact with Fiat else we would have ended up seeing ambassador with a multijet engine

[Animesh]

I went to Premier's manufacturing unit in Pune (no they don't manufacture this car there but it is for automation units) months back. What they do to the car is pretty much same what kids do to lego blocks. And the final result does look no better than a car created out of legos.

And yes those tires.

This is definitely a no-car and I fail to understand Premier's strategy behind all this. It is at best a joke on themselves.

Who wants to buy the Rio even if it is priced 1 lac less than what it already costs? Raise your hands.

And as the legend goes: If you drive a Rio (or you mention that you are interested in buying one), your membership to T-BHP forum is terminated without notice. True story.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by GTO

Are you suggesting that the mass market should trust a brand that gypped thousands of customers of their booking amounts?

You must be kidding?

This is news to me! Is this a recent thing or has it been on for sometime? Could we have a link of the same, please?

*EDIT* I am in no way suggesting that the Rio is a good product. In fact, it's a big let down and not worth anything more than 3 lakhs IMO. If Mahindra can pull off the XUV-500, the Rio should have done half as much. Sadly, it's not a product one can rely on. The brand itself is a bit iffy.

[CANPUSH]

When Maruti was launched in early 80s people realised how they were taken for ride by Premier and HM for all those years. The quality of car and the sales / after sales service that was offered by these two companies was far-far below the new standards. This as further confirmed by Hyundai and other new entrants over the years.

Now HM (and unfortunately Mitsubushi) as well as Premier (and unfortunately FIAT for no apparent reason) are paying through nose (in India) for all the bad reputation earned by these two companies. Same thing is true with Tempo and Kinetic. Nobody is ready to believe that they can ever deliver a well made vehicle and support it through efficient and consumer friendly A.S.S.

Even if Rio is the best car available in the market, people will look at it suspiciously. That's the fate of Rio.

[gods-envy]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

You must be kidding?

This is news to me! Is this a recent thing or has it been on for sometime? Could we have a link of the same, please?

Suhas,
Check the below wikipedia link.
Premier Automobiles Limited - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Search for 'booking'.

[abhi1309]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

You must be kidding?

This is news to me! Is this a recent thing or has it been on for sometime? Could we have a link of the same, please?

This was when Fiat Uno was launched and it got some more than 2lac bookings (or some similar crazy figure), yeah that was back in the day. Unfortunately it went all downhill from there.

Labor problems etc and Premier and FIAT broke off. Lot of people who had made the bookings did not get their money back. Imagine booking a car, company closes and you don't even get it back no matter how small the amount is

[shankar.balan]

Frankly they will get blown out of the water before they even begin to test. Their quality is rubbish as compared with the competition.
Our consumers have evolved by quantum leaps - that's what the Premier's of the world need to learn!

Originally Posted by suhaas307

I've spotted a few Rios in Bangalore. They don't look very inspiring. It reminds me of the late '90s Suzuki Jimny. But it can't quite match the Jimny's AWD abilities.

Unfortunately, the way I see it, the Rio is merely testing the waters before the EcoSport and the Duster splash into the scene.

[scopriobharath]

Originally Posted by SiddVish

as a teenager i'd love to get a 4x4 at a price just higher than a hatch :P

Rio is NOT offered with a 4WD even with a special request. I checked with the stall at the Times auto expo in mumbai.

Rio is just a 4X2 or in simple terms a 2WD, similar to your average Hatchback, but with little more ground clearance.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by scopriobharath

Rio is NOT offered with a 4WD even with a special request. I checked with the stall at the Times auto expo in mumbai.

Rio is just a 4X2 or in simple terms a 2WD, similar to your average Hatchback, but with little more ground clearance.

What the Rio is, is a failed attempt at making something on similar lines as this:



What this is, is the Fiat Panda Climbing/Cross. A small little hatchback with nifty features and great Ground-clearance, SUV-ish plastic-cladding among other things. And unlike the Rio, it does come with 4WD that actually works! Well, sort of. The car makes ample power from its 1.3 and 1.4 petrol/diesel mills and is actually a great proposition for India. Wonder what's stopping Fiat from earning some brownie-points and smashing Premier out of the weeds with this wonderful product.

The Duster and EcoSport will ensure that the Rio doesn't last long, and if Fiat does decide on giving us this Panda, then that would be the final nail in the coffin for the Rio.

[scopriobharath]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

What the Rio is, is a failed attempt at making something on similar lines as this:

The Duster and EcoSport will ensure that the Rio doesn't last long, and if Fiat does decide on giving us this Panda, then that would be the final nail in the coffin for the Rio.

I really doubt if 4X4 would be offered on Duster, Mini Xylo and Eco-sport. I really would love to see 4X4 but manufacturers are not large hearted to cater to an enthusiast's request.


I think Duster, eco-sport and M Xylo would be just 4X2s targetted for city use to tackle speed-breakers and potholes.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by scopriobharath

I really doubt if 4X4 would be offered on Duster, Mini Xylo and Eco-sport. I really would love to see 4X$ but manufacturers are not large hearted to cater to an enthusiast's request.

I think Duster, eco-sport and M Xylo would be just 4X2s targetted for city use to tackle speed-breakers and potholes.

You're quite right.

I wouldn't expect the Duster to come with 4X4, and the mini-Xylo you can forget about it. But don't be so sure about the EcoSport. Ford surprised us with a brilliant automatic gearbox that's the most technologically advanced tranny in the segment. So I'm counting on Ford to give us some tech in their new cars. Hopefully, I'm not going to be disappointed.