[ampere]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

I don't know whether to take this news with a teaspoon / bucketful/ truckloads of salt!

I was about to say the same. In fact I saw this piece of news and let it pass without wanting to post about it! Add to it the piece looks like a filler item.

If indeed its true, they also have a long way to go. Forget starting production, they have not even introduced the product which they claimed they would. One can argue saying local consumption and export are independent entities. But I would still hold to the fact that till we see some tangible action, its difficult to go with this article.

[Fiatanic]

The news is on front page of economic times. Fiat's good times ahead?

[aniketi]

Good that Fiat will make SUV in India.

Hope they will launch in India at sensible price.

MUMBAI: Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi exhorted global manufacturers to 'Make in India', Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has put in motion plans to manufacture a premium sports utility vehicle under the Jeep brand as part of a Rs 1,500-2,500 crore investment in the country and export it to key markets including the UK, Australia and South Africa in the next two years.

The development work for the first premium SUV to be made in India has begun under the project codenamed M6 or 556 and production of the C-segment vehicle will begin by the end of 2016, four people close to the development told ET, adding that the strategy to use India as an exports hub will help the company reduce its losses in the country. Experts say that Fiat Chrysler's move will further enhance the brand image of India. The country is gradually transforming itself from a manufacturing hub for small cars into a base for the entire range of vehicles as companies including Renault-Nissan and Volkswagen have exported mid-sized sedans and compact SUVs to global markets from the country. An email sent to Fiat India did not elicit any response. One of the persons referred to earlier, however, said on condition of anonymity that the C-segment Jeep SUV is expected to be priced at Rs 20-25 lakh in the domestic market and will be produced in "tens of thousands".

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...w/44943695.cms

[wanderer4x4]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

I don't know whether to take this news with a teaspoon / bucketful/ truckloads of salt!

"Fiat is eyeing volumes of 1.3 lakh units by 2018 from 10,000 in 2013, a compounded annual growth rate of 50% over the next four years."

Originally Posted by ampere

If indeed its true, they also have a long way to go. Forget starting production, they have not even introduced the product which they claimed they would. One can argue saying local consumption and export are independent entities. But I would still hold to the fact that till we see some tangible action, its difficult to go with this article.

Coming from any other manufacturer, it would have been seen as a credible information. But coming from Fiat, it looks more like a sponsored piece. In any case, no one's talking about Fiat in India except a handful of enthusiasts and this can at best be seen as some marketing trick to create some excitement in the market and keep people interested in the brand.

[rahul412]

Dont think so, may be Fiat is just slow ( Ok too too slow), but Jeep is definitely coming to India & so is this C SUV. Lets not forget that Fiats business in India is not a total disaster & its managing to remain in profits unlike GM & Ford who have accumulated thousand of crores of losses in India.

I think we need to be patient & give the brand some time. Things are only improving after breaking up with TATA & slowly & steadily brand should show more signs of growth from here ( Avventura has made a decent beginning & just could be the shot in arm that Fiat needed).

Fiat even today does strike an emotional chord in the heart of Indians.

[vinodvayyat]

Hopefully this will become true and Fortuner/SantaFe will face tough competition and prove all the critics wrong!

[HydroFuel]

Originally Posted by rahul412

I think we need to be patient & give the brand some time. Things are only improving after breaking up with TATA & slowly & steadily brand should show more signs of growth from here:

But one more important thing is they should change baby parts also, should not just change whole assembly. E.g. clutch assembly. Has anybody serviced it recently? When I went to ASS to check what's wrong with my ac of preowned Palio, they said compressor is gone and needs to replace whole. They even showed me that some part was rotating very slowly. I asked whether it can be replaced, to which the mechanic said we don't repair, we just change the whole compressor. Estimate around 26000 Rs. Later I got hold of independent AC mechanic. He said bearing might have gone. But after disassembling compressor he said that whole part has to be changed for Rs 5000. He changed within 24 hours. Now Ac is doing very well last few months. If the said job had done by ASS I would have happily spent 6-7000 Rs for the same.

[RavSam]

Abarth 595 Competizione to be launched next month.

from:
http://www.autocarindia.com/auto-new...th-391317.aspx

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by RavSam

Abarth 595 Competizione to be launched next month.



from:

http://www.autocarindia.com/auto-new...th-391317.aspx

5 speed AMT gearbox?
30L ex showroom?

I definitely want a puff from the pot they are smoking!

Seriously, I don't understand why they couldn't import the kits and add-on to the existing Punto to make it the best hot hatch priced around 15L. That would have at least managed to get some eyeballs rolling.

[Aditya]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

5 speed AMT gearbox?
30L ex showroom?

I definitely want a puff from the pot they are smoking!

I was wondering the same. An AMT for a premium performance machine sounds unbelievable. I'd say let's wait and watch till there's some official confirmation from Fiat.

[S.MJet]

Last time 500 at Rs 16-17 Lacs (if I am not wrong) did not help Fiat in any way, so they now think at Rs 30L will do some wonders to the brand.

And what is with AMT, are they trying to position AMT as a premium automatic?

[neoonwheels]

I have seen this car in one of the service centers. The alloys look HOT. Surprisingly, I did not see any gear lever in the car. I don't know if its going to be full auto or AMT. But my guess is that its full auto and the lever might just pop out when you turn the key on (Like in Jaguar).

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

5 speed AMT gearbox?
30L ex showroom?

Originally Posted by Aditya

I was wondering the same. An AMT for a premium performance machine sounds unbelievable. I'd say let's wait and watch till there's some official confirmation from Fiat.

AMT is not a surprise. IIRC even some of the Maserati models come with the AMT option. Interested to see how many units this puny Fiat will manage.

Instead of launching halo products, they should have thought of the T-Jet Punto to compete in the space of GT TSI.

[PVPal]

160 PS Fiat Abarth 595 Competizione is launching in Nov 2014 in India.

See:
http://www.autocarindia.com/auto-new...th-391317.aspx

http://motorbash.com/160ps-fiat-abar...a-in-november/

[PVPal]

I was just wondering if it would be a good idea for Fiat to send their Indian models (especially the Punto Evo, if not the Linea, and the Avventura too) to Global NCAP, given that they themselves advertise the build quality and safety.

If the Evo base model scores relatively higher than the premium hatchbacks that have been tested so far, (and the Linea too if sent) they could get a huge boost and marketing card.

They could always go the VW way and bring Airbags (and ABS) to all models if there is a let down in the tests.