[rohanjf]

Are the shops company-owned or are they franchised?
Either ways, we will not see more Fiat Caffe outlets soon. If they are company-owned, Fiat would want to see the response they receive in these 2 places before entering other cities.
If they are franchised, who has the guts to join hands with a company whose main source of income (as known to common man, not to auto-enthusiasts like us) is going down month by month?

[~~h]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

Why not one in Mumbai?

Surpsisingly I see very few Punto+Linea in Mumbai, in fact even Trivandrum more of them.
That could be a reason.

[CRtorquefan]

Lets get not involved much into a mess, friend.
But still I want to clear that;

Originally Posted by rameshnanda

While I can agree on the reliability factor, Product quality and Fit-finish is still better than some of the Japanese manufacturers.

Its build Quality is much better, leave alone Japaneese it's even better than German rivals but I'm talking about overall Product Quality(which includes Plastics & Mechanical parts quality) & fit-finish(assembly of parts).
Hope you've got my point.
If that wasn't the scene, then there won't be the worst cases of Broken Seat adjustment handles or else as discussed in Fiat Punto threads.
Even Maruti 800 features the quality products in a car best suited for its Proper working.

Originally Posted by rameshnanda

Tata shouldn't be selling 10K+ Indicas and 5k+ Indigos with those dumb mechanics at the TASC .

How many of Indica-Indigo owners actually bother or care about their cars as Honda or Maruti or Hyundai owners do & get their cars serviced at TASCs, after Free Services.


Avoiding Off-topic discussions & Coming to the point,
In NutShell FIAT India still needs many things(as above quoted) right first than brand building exercise Alone.
Afterall, Ford India have also grown up from the similar stage(after ESCORT) like FIAT, even with not so Hi-tech bits in their bag whereas FIAT is still having better Technology & better products in their bag.
What they need is the right dose of everything.

[rameshnanda]

@CRtorqueFan - I don't want to get into a debate on the product quality. I know what it is in Fiat since I own one and a happy owner of it . 90% of your observations are perceptions like all the general public have about Fiat. Among the people who complain about Fiat car, 90% of the people are non-owners of Fiat.

Sticking to the topic, I again re-iterate that this Caffe is one such exercise to change the perception about Fiat and educate well to the people like you .

[harishpr]

I don't get this. I seriously don't get their strategy.
FIAT is setting up the Caffe/brand showrooms which is in right direction BUT how will this help them increase their sales or bring volumes.
Caffe will attract mostly the existing FIAT customers and few Non-Fiat customers. These few Non-Fiat customer may not bring volume to Fiat.
They seriously need to focus on providing better After-Sales (Read 'Moving away from Tata') and re-establish faith with Indian Consumers. I say this because I own Tata and my brother owns Fiat Palio, he has loads to share everytime he is back from Service center on how Fiat customers are literally shooed away with no attention.

Look at what Fiat has to offer to Indian Market - Just 1 Sedan and 1 Hatchback (Im not talking about their MJD engines here.. so pls don't open that topic) while the rest of competition is present in every segment.

Im not sure how much will these Caffe help bring volumes/sales. I hope it works !!

[rsjaurr]

well,Fiat India needs to take quite a few steps to boost their sales and opening caffe, exclusive Fiat showrooms and service centers and having more models in India are few of those steps that fiat took/needs to take.

[figo_mba]

Originally Posted by rameshnanda

@CRtorqueFan - I don't want to get into a debate on the product quality. I know what it is in Fiat since I own one and a happy owner of it . 90% of your observations are perceptions like all the general public have about Fiat. Among the people who complain about Fiat car, 90% of the people are non-owners of Fiat.

Sticking to the topic, I again re-iterate that this Caffe is one such exercise to change the perception about Fiat and educate well to the people like you .

Rightly said this need not turn into a debate on product quality since every manufacturer has their set of issues.

Perceptions do matter since no matter how informed the buyer is there is a little bit of 'herd mentality' and there is always dad/mom, spouse, uncle, cousin, bro/sis or someone who will matter in the decision and that is where the perception plays the part. Lets hope Fiat caffe can change that perception. But with a few caffe's will it be able to do that ? Difficult but not impossible.

I am also a Fiat Linea owner and I have never posted any problem I faced with my Linea on tbhp simply because
1. I did not want to tagged Anti Fiat (which I am not)
2. I will have quit my job if I have answer to posts from genuine Fiat fans. There will be so many.

I find that genuine fiat owners do not post any problems (or even talk about it) related to Fiat and I don't have a problem with that.
For a regular joe well things are different. He/she feels that having to replace clutch master cylinder or the turbo or roof lining is definitely a matter of concern. Having to wait for a month for the bootlid because it is not in stock is a problem. I am speaking from my own experience.

I am not saying Fiat makes bad cars or other make better cars (in fact they have good products but just products and no service is not all good). Fiat has a long way to go and I think on that way they are better off without Tata and TASCs.

Lets hope Fiat gets it right with Fiat Caffe (Since I like marketing I want to see how effective it is; purely academic interest).

[torqueyTND]

Honestly speaking of FIAT this is the place to have been. I am sure RK and his team
must been upto something for dipping sales ratios over the fiscal year. 2009 saw
gp's and linea's hit indian auto sector , with them they must have enforced such discipline to tackle curiosity
and promote awareness amongest indian enthusiasts through diversified channel and ensure a niche level of
service support for FIAT'ers old & young alike. (Just to highlight Mahindra's approach towards XUV)

If such options are available acorss major metros in india , it would be worth watching the
cherry, roll down the FIAT Lane !!!

Cheers
TND

[rohanjf]

What is wrong in promoting a brand through coffee outlets? It is a unique approach, not tried at least in Indian automotive industry. It may not immediately result in increase of sales, but that's not the agenda anyway. The idea is to let potential car buyers notice, and at least consider Fiat as an option. May be that a potential buyer goes along with a Fiat owner to such a cafe and becomes a Fiat fan? Or that one goes to another car's showroom and notices that Fiat Caffe next door and decides to have a look.

All that Fiat wants right now through these cafes is for people to have a look.

Agreed, Fiat has a lot more to do than this. Let us see how the 2012 Punto and Linea are.

[PhX]

Originally Posted by rohanjf

What is wrong in promoting a brand through coffee outlets? It is a unique approach, not tried at least in Indian automotive industry.

It appears strange because the two things are chalk and cheese. Coffee and cars...where's the connection? I can still consider something like football-cafes, where people sit down to drink something while watching football or any other sport. What Fiat-centric conversation are you going to have in a cafe?

It may not immediately result in increase of sales, but that's not the agenda anyway. The idea is to let potential car buyers notice, and at least consider Fiat as an option. May be that a potential buyer goes along with a Fiat owner to such a cafe and becomes a Fiat fan? Or that one goes to another car's showroom and notices that Fiat Caffe next door and decides to have a look.

Honestly, if I'm going to buy a car, I should consider a lot of things rather than the fact that they have a coffee shop. If these cafes are tied to dealerships, then one big plus point is that while I sit with the salesman and discuss what I want, they would be able to offer me some good things to eat or drink. The atmosphere/ambience could be extremely positive and it would give a good feeling to the buyer while they sit in the cafe/dealership.

One way to leverage these cafes is through Ferrari. If they screen F1 races or bring replicas (or even real) Ferraris in at least some cafes, they could generate a massive buzz.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by PhX

It appears strange because the two things are chalk and cheese. Coffee and cars...where's the connection? I can still consider something like football-cafes, where people sit down to drink something while watching football or any other sport. What Fiat-centric conversation are you going to have in a cafe?

Get the Italian connection friend

Espresso, Pizza/Pasta, Ferrari/Fiat/Alfa etc. are all synonymous with Italy. The concept definitely makes sense! But does heritage and tradition will transform into sales – hard to say now.

In many ways Fiat cars are quite similar to traditional Italian food – awesome, but quite rustic

[Speed Pujari]

Originally Posted by PhX

..
Honestly, if I'm going to buy a car, I should consider a lot of things rather than the fact that they have a coffee shop
....

After sales and support, "kitna deti hai", plastics, is what you meant if I am not wrong.
I am assuming that caffe is the starting point for a new beginning.

. If these cafes are tied to dealerships, then one big plus point is that while I sit with the salesman and discuss what I want, they would be able to offer me some good things to eat or drink. The atmosphere/ambience could be extremely positive and it would give a good feeling to the buyer while they sit in the cafe/dealership.
....

Good things to eat and drink is offered at all the dealerships including a filthy swaraj mazda showroom.

This caffe is a strategy to convey that Fiat does care about their existing customer, and existing customers are the ones who can bring in sales initially if word of mouth is what matters here.

I dont care if their sales zoom in or not, but only an enthusiast will know how it is to sit with a hot cup of coffee and a company of like minded group(not necessarily Fiat owners) surrounded by hot cars.
If I bring in three of my friends to the caffe then certainly there mindset will change.

Drive a Fiat to know a Fiat.

[Klub Class]

figo_mba, our family having owned multiple Fiat cars, I agree with everything you've said, except the below one :

Originally Posted by figo_mba

I find that genuine fiat owners do not post any problems (or even talk about it) related to Fiat

Care to elaborate more on your observations or rather assumption as I may call?

For the uninitiated, our Fiat GP's alternator had gone kaput within 7 days of ownership and had to wait ~2-3 weeks to get the car back after replacing the alternator FOC. Well, I've mentioned the same in my ownership report and elsewhere on the forum unlike what your observation suggests.

Remember amit? He's one helluva Fiat fan and was traded off his legendary S10 for Fiat Punto within weeks after the launch. IIRC, he could find TWO loose bolts lying inside the bonnet and didn't chose NOT to share the news (or should I say bad news) with us.

If time is NOT a limiting factor for you, I suggest you to go through the ownership reports on Fiat Punto & Fiat Linea. I'm sure that you fail in finding at the least a single ownership report where the bad A.S.S experiences or problems with the cars are NOT mentioned. Well, if whatever you've said was true, one would NOT be seeing multiple threads and posts on problems (ranging from minor rattles to alternator failures), niggling issues, bad A.S.S experiences, buying experiences etc made by FIATians or genuine Fiat owners as you call.

Lastly, I'm much unsatisfied with the A.S.S and very much satisfied with my FIAT GP. If I may add, Fiat GP is not a patch on the Palio in terms of quality - Fiat has surely gone the Tata way, I feel and believe. (Don't pick up this time for the sake of argument. Please)

PS: If I'm asked to select the best ownership report on Fiat GP, my pick would be .anshuman's long term ownership log. It's a must read thread for all who're interested in Fiat GP. *thumbs up*

I don't have anything against you figo_mba. No hard feeling either.

[PhX]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Get the Italian connection friend

Espresso, Pizza/Pasta, Ferrari/Fiat/Alfa etc. are all synonymous with Italy. The concept definitely makes sense! But does heritage and tradition will transform into sales – hard to say now.

Ok, but tell me something. If you have to hang out with a friend for coffee and just generally to chill, would you rather do it in a CCD or a Gloria Jean or a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, or any other hangout area, or would you do it in a Fiat Caffe? (Assume that you're not a Fiat fan or that you don't own a Fiat). Just as an example, despite being a Man Utd fan, I would rather go to any other coffee shop if there is no football on TV.

Originally Posted by Speed Pujari

After sales and support, "kitna deti hai", plastics, is what you meant if I am not wrong.
I am assuming that caffe is the starting point for a new beginning.

Yes, that's what I meant, but I didn't get what you meant by "new beginning"?

Good things to eat and drink is offered at all the dealerships including a filthy swaraj mazda showroom.

Surprisingly, Linkway Honda at Saki Naka, Mumbai, offered us just coffee when we went to see the Honda City. :P

This caffe is a strategy to convey that Fiat does care about their existing customer, and existing customers are the ones who can bring in sales initially if word of mouth is what matters here.

How? I seriously am not understanding why opening a cafe will say to its existing customers that it cares. Surely, they should focus more on their post-sales service, considering that has supposedly been the major pain-point for most Fiat owners (based on hear-say ... disclaimer: I have never owned a Fiat so far). Even if you are a Fiat owner, would you rather go out of your way to go hang out at a Fiat Cafe rather than a Barista or something else that's closer to home?

I dont care if their sales zoom in or not, but only an enthusiast will know how it is to sit with a hot cup of coffee and a company of like minded group(not necessarily Fiat owners) surrounded by hot cars.
If I bring in three of my friends to the caffe then certainly there mindset will change.

I've highlighted 2 portions of your text:

• enthusiast = yes, only an enthusiast will know. But that's exactly the point. Such cafes will only attract enthusiasts (refer to my MUFC point).
• like-minded friends = again, this is a serious requirement. If you don't have friends who are car enthusiasts, they will not go to a Fiat Cafe unless it's convenient.

I think this begs a question...exactly who/what is Fiat's target market with the Fiat Caffe? If they're targetting ordinary youngsters (the kind of crowd who hang out at CCD/others), then it's a questionable tactic. If they're targeting car enthusiasts by having that kind of ambience or hosting motorsport broadcasting events, then it's a different issue.

[figo_mba]

Originally Posted by Klub Class

Care to elaborate more on your observations or rather assumption as I may call?

Lastly, I'm much unsatisfied with the A.S.S and very much satisfied with my FIAT GP.

I don't have anything against you figo_mba. No hard feeling either.

Oh my words failed to convey what i was trying to say. I assure you that they are not assumptions but observations.

I will try and explain the statement. "I find that genuine fiat owners do not post any problems (or even talk about it) related to Fiat".

I was trying to highlight the quality of Fiat fans to look beyond the issues and niggles of Fiat where as the normal guy (non auto aficionado) would be frustrated by the issues that crop up. I will find a regular car owner who would be bugged with a set of problems with his Fiat, but the same set of issues would not be a problem to a fiat fan. They just ignore it.

And my point is more clear in your words

Originally Posted by Klub Class

(I'm much unsatisfied with the A.S.S and very much satisfied with my FIAT GP.)

No hard feelings at all buddy. We are all here for the discussion. Cheers