[volkman10]

Fiat will be launching the Grand Cherokee in India later part of 2015. Effect of change in management making this on fast track ?

This will be powered by a 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine that will churn out 215bhp of power and 510Nm of peak torque. This will come mated to a five-speed automatic transmission. The Grand Cherokee will compete with the Audi Q5, Mercedes-Benz ML-Class and the BMW X3

http://motoroctane.com/news/8980-jee...2015-exclusive

[S2!!!]

Somehow this thread is like the 'wolf, wolf' story. Each time some news crops up about Fiat either launching a new variant or new car or new brand altogether and some kind of interest sparks up. But then, after some time it all dies down because Fiat is still where it was with almost no progress and no action or implementation. There have been upteen times the rumour of Jeep or Abarth coming to India have cropped up and now it seems like no one cares.

Let them launch the car in India first, only then will I believe that these reports are actually true.

[avira_tk]

This thread is 3 years old and other than expanding their dealer network to sell fewer cars, Fiat have achieved next to nothing. I am pretty certain whenever I can afford to upgrade my Punto, a Fiat product won't be in consideration. The cars sold are a decade old and Jeep doesn't have the aspirational value of the German brand or Land Rover. Fiat is in pretty bad shape now, nothing they have in the pipeline will make them a mass market player, which they need to be to make a case to continue operations here. Abarth and other hobbies should be put away till Fiat cars sell atleast 3k a month, so people know the company still exists.

[ameyawaghmare]

Originally Posted by avira_tk

This thread is 3 years old and other than expanding their dealer network to sell fewer cars, Fiat have achieved next to nothing. I am pretty certain whenever I can afford to upgrade my Punto, a Fiat product won't be in consideration. The cars sold are a decade old and Jeep doesn't have the aspirational value of the German brand or Land Rover. Fiat is in pretty bad shape now, nothing they have in the pipeline will make them a mass market player, which they need to be to make a case to continue operations here. Abarth and other hobbies should be put away till Fiat cars sell atleast 3k a month, so people know the company still exists.

I second that! We have been listening talks of Fiat India on a revamp stories from so many years but all that we see is the same range of Punto and Linea getting facelifts or cosmetic changes. Avventura is the only new addition which is not going to clock the same numbers as Ecosport or Duster in that segment, thanks to the apprehensions with regards to ASS every one has in the non-Fiat segment.

For Fiat, Ford is the perfect case in India to emulate. Ford did everything right in the past 5 years and is slowly catching up, with Figo and now EcoSport. Despite such a big stable of Fiat, it is a question mark how they can stay satisfied with only 2 to 3 models for years and years!

I guess the CEO Sergio Marchioness may not be so keen in India market. The popular mass market in developing nations was probably never for them. But, then stopping the launch of more high-end versions in India definitely does not justify any alignment with that kind of niche strategy.

The wonderful numbers they get by selling age old patented diesel engines to MSIL and Tata definitely land up in a decent profit!

[itsashishsharma]

Originally Posted by ameyawaghmare

The popular mass market in developing nations was probably never for them.

The wonderful numbers they get by selling age old patented diesel engines to MSIL and Tata definitely land up in a decent profit!

While I agree with you on Fiat's poor attitude towards launching right producta at right time in India, I am unable to understand these two statements. Fiat should do good in developing economies, see the case of Brasil.
Fiat's Multijet if age old, which other manufacturer is making engines better in terms of technology? Ford's is 2 valve per cyllinder for example. Hyundai has come a long way from those 3 pot 1.5 CRDi to what is there in Vernas and i20s, they are more refined than the Multijet, but not by much, and technologically, I don't see any difference. Honda's first attempt is not as good as the Multijet, VW's are noisy. MSIL and Tata are buying Fiat engine because they are unable to make a good engine.

[rsidd]

Originally Posted by itsashishsharma

While I agree with you on Fiat's poor attitude towards launching right producta at right time in India, I am unable to understand these two statements. Fiat should do good in developing economies, see the case of Brasil.

Brasil worked because Fiat was an early mover. In India, the Uno could have worked, except that (a) it was already an outdated car (despite which it had record bookings) and (b) the tie-up with Premier was a disaster from which Fiat never really recovered.

The aging and limited catalogue is not helping Fiat. The Punto and Linea facelifts were cosmetic and customers can see that. An Ecosport-challenger should have been designed to compete in that market -- a dressed-up Punto wasn't going to convince too many customers, and they didn't even bother to make intelligent use of the boot space freed up by the spare wheel. One winning aspect of the Punto was its looks (certainly one factor in my purchase) but in my opinion the new i20 elite blows away every other competitor in that department, while the Punto Evo is a step down from its predecessor. Another factor that influenced my purchase is the boot space, but the new i20 wins there too. And there's the comfort, suspension and driveability, but I didn't know that before I bought the car (a test-drive can only tell you so much).

Clearly Fiat doesn't think it can bring in another car (like the Panda) at a price point below the Punto. The Fiat 500 (or its Abarth cousin) would be a smaller niche than the Beetle or the Mini Cooper. Fiat has no sedans in the European market (its sister brands do, but they're pricey). There is the 500X and 500L family of large hatches / crossovers but making them affordable for the Indian market would be a challenge. There is no market for larger hatches like the Bravo. So, other than the Punto and the Linea, there is really very little Fiat can bring in from its international portfolio in the passenger car segment. The new MD, Roger Flynn, has a challenge in front of him! Maybe Jeep is their best hope.

[rohanjf]

Originally Posted by itsashishsharma

Fiat should do good in developing economies, see the case of Brasil.

I don't think we can really compare Brazilian market with Indian. Just look at the Palio. Its starting price is equivalent of some 15-16 thousand USD in Brazil. Punto should be more than that. Of course, Brazilian version should have many safety features (ABS, front airbags) as standard. Yet, Fiat will have to sell their cars at a much lower price in India, compared to Brazil. Profit margins must be much lower in India than in Brazil.

[octane_100]

Doesn't any one here want the Viaggio? Such a nice looking car and I would love it if it comes with the 1.6 MJD. It would be good upgrade from the Linea.

[FINTAIL]

Please excuse the rather large post- BUT FIAT India's attitude forces me to. Moderators- please excuse the multiple points, but each and every point is noteworthy.

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Don't we see something recurring here?

The moment a newer FIAT gets launched (Note: I say newer. Not new. All the FIAT's on Indian roads are decade old designs)- the fanboys are shouting everywhere- Hey! FIAT's BACK- with a B-A-N-G! And yes- The sales go.....well....B-A-N-G. Bang. Fallen flat. Flat.

Some customers do come in, it is a honeymoon period, and voila! Everyone's shouting- FIAT sold MORE THAN AVERAGE cars this month. Annnd.....The sales progressively decrease, and in a few months, back to square one.

We've seen this. Multiple times. When the Palio Stile MultiJet SDX came, with the TaMo Sales and ASC backup, all the fanboys were yelling. A few generic quotes from 2008/9:

FIAT has bet big on diesel now.

Time for FIAT's comeback, eh?

Yes- Typical FIAT comeback. Comeback. Come Back. The sales, come back to what they were. When the Linea and Punto came, everyone was like:

FIAT is back with a BANG!

B-A-N-G. So much of a bang really.

The T-Jet came in October 2010, one of the first few comments to GTO's (rather excellent) review was:

The T-Jet will be FIAT's comeback car

The sales numbers- came back. Average monthly sales for the Linea have been hovering on the 100+ mark, in 2014. 100+. And, below 500. Suffice to say, FIAT, countless attempts at reinventing the brand have not helped. Not at all. Italian expresso at dealerships...and what not. I was one of the legions of FIAT fanboys, and I'm still not happy. The quality is something you would like to praise yourself on.

And yet- countless reports of interior rattles piss oneself off. Misaligned panels. The car's ARE excellent, but, the brand is lacklustre. Absolutely lacklustre.

I cannot help but notice, that the after sales remains, by and large, pathetic, to say the least, having witnessed a horror story. The car's driveability is utterly useless. And, then- one hardly ever hears them of making any additional investment.
Additional investment. Not in the form of new dealership. But- in the form of new plants. Upgraded manufacturing plants. Improved marketing. Nope- The advertisement brochures in newspapers are quite low, to say the least.

If I were not into cars, I would've never even realized the Linea was facelifted- as an example. The adverts in dailies are non existent. In stunning contrast, VW's advert's, for the Jetta, a car that costs well in excess of 20 lakhs, and would never bring in that many numbers, was a full 2 page, advert.

Every layman knows that the Polo GT twins, are F-A-S-T. Do they know about a supposedly faster version of the Punto, the 90HP? Nope. T-Jet? Not heard about it. Says volumes about VW's commitment to India, and their investments in the right place, in the form of advertisements.

VW's branding the Polo, as GT helped. Really. BUT- IF-F, FIAT launches the Abarth brand, how will the common person understand that Abarth is meant to be, umm...sporty?

Suffice to say, FIAT, you'll launch the Punto T-Jet. And it'll go down, faster than the Titanic. Nope, the Titanic sunk slower in comparision. VW made a good hatch- AND provided an auto box.

Inspite of owning Magneti-Marelli, the company responsible for the famed AMT 'box of MSIL and Tata, HOW CAN YOU NOT EQUIP YOUR CARS WITH IT?

Everyone knows that FIAT gave MSIL the MultiJet for the Swift, and lo! The first Swift DDiS was born. Everyone knows what happened next. Six month long waiting periods. Et cetera.

The Palio MJD that came a short while later was...an err.....sales flop.

Their strategy is misleading, and, I hear about a supposed comeback every six months. Tata will come up with their supposed performance brand, in all probability before FIAT. All the fanboys are lurking behind the excuse- Jeep coming to India. The public's response:
Jeep.




Jeep? Oh- you mean, JEEP.



Another marketing disaster looms ahead. If a company with an excellent history, Land Rover, could not make it good in India, how do you expect Jeep to do well. Eh, FIAT?
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When it comes to buying cars, I'm known to not compromise a bit. The Punto was launched internationally in 2005. And the Linea and Punto came here, in 2009. I don't fancy driving a 10 year old product, to be woefully honest.

If I pay for a new car, I want a new car.

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Suffice to say, FIAT, my rantings will never stop. I hope you realize from your past mistakes (You never do. Never).

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Furthermore, I request FIAT India to refrain posting such utterly misguiding images on social media.

Ladies and gentlemen, do you believe this to be true, and what do you make of the attached image :



This disgusts me. Badly. Atleast VW is not dishonest in their sales- one of the reasons why I'm preferring the Vento.

This is an utterly cheap tactic, to show that you're actually selling cars. Cheap. Stooped to the lowest levels, on the verge of being called lowlifes, have you, FIAT India.

Photo credits: Respective owners. I would appreciate if the link to this post is pasted on the FIAT India FB page- and on other forms of social media.

Thanks!

[Car Architect]

Originally Posted by FINTAIL

Furthermore, I request FIAT India to refrain posting such utterly misguiding images on social media.

Ladies and gentlemen, do you believe this to be true, and what do you make of the attached image :

Sir, could please explain where in that image have they misguided you?? That image refers to the number of likes their FB page has received, even a school boy won't be misguided by it. Just because you can't comprehend something doesn't mean others are cheating you.

Originally Posted by FINTAIL

This disgusts me. Badly. Atleast VW is not dishonest in their sales- one of the reasons why I'm preferring the Vento.

Ha ha, where have they ever mentioned that they have sold over 1 million cars?? Don't twist the actual meaning of the image into something to befit your agenda ( in your case for making accusations against Fiat)

So you preferred a Vento ?? so going by your logic I think you are patronizing VW.

Originally Posted by FINTAIL

This is an utterly cheap tactic, to show that you're actually selling cars. Cheap. Stooped to the lowest levels, on the verge of being called lowlifes, have you, FIAT India.
[i]

What ?? This is the worst comment that I have read in Team BHP. Again, Just because you can't comprehend something doesn't mean that they are misguiding you. You have twisted and turned the actual meaning to fuel your agenda.So effectively, you can be accused using the same words that you have used against Fiat India.

Have a bit of decency and proper understanding of things before you post in an reputed forum. Don't bring your prejudice and favoritism into the forum And sir, i don't agree with any points that you have mentioned about Fiat.

[Biraj]

I don't know what happened in the last one month that you went from

Originally Posted by FINTAIL

This post is to inform others that the FINMobile () is likely to be a 2013/14 FIAT Linea Dynamic MJD. The colour- Bossa Nova White/Pearl White. Oh- The Magnesio grey as well. There's a couple of 2014 pre-facelift stock left- Started negotiating. Meanwhile- anyone seen the Avventura in white? Looked just awesome!

Today- was an excellent day. Saw more than 5 facelifted Linea's, and wonder of wonders, saw a line of Linea's of all ages move on the road. 6 of 'em. I guess Pune is one of those rare cities- wherein a lot of FIAT's can be spotted. I was never a FIAT fan- I was converted into one. The Linea- goodness sake, I find it the best all-rounder upto about 25 lakhs. I'll state reasons in the upcoming review, as and when the FINMobile comes home. [/i]

To

Originally Posted by FINTAIL

When it comes to buying cars, I'm known to not compromise a bit. The Punto was launched internationally in 2005. And the Linea and Punto came here, in 2009. I don't fancy driving a 10 year old product, to be woefully honest.

While it's perfectly fine to change decisions, preferences, alignment, etc but such a wild swing does make one wonder, what went so horribly wrong? All the issues that you have cited have been true for ages, and were definitely applicable in January so, don't know why an informed car-enthusiast like you chose to ignore certain data-points earlier.

I would appreciate if the link to this post is pasted on the FIAT India FB page- and on other forms of social media.[/i]

Quite honestly, this part makes one feel that your rant is part of a pressure tactic. Perhaps, you didn't get the deal/service/response that you expected thus, you are using the forum to vent your anger and put pressure on the dealer/company.

You might want to post the facts related to your experience because your post related to Fiat's FB post seems nothing but red herring.

[21Archer84]

Originally Posted by octane_100

Doesn't any one here want the Viaggio? Such a nice looking car and I would love it if it comes with the 1.6 MJD. It would be good upgrade from the Linea.

Not just the Viaggio, as a matter of fact even the Ottimo looks beautiful. It definitely doesn't look like an after thought of making an hatchback out of a sedan. Would make good replacements for the Linea and Punto.

Not sure if someone mentioned it but the 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee has landed on Indian shores for testing. Also a FIAT 500L. (Source; Zauba.com)

[rohanjf]

Originally Posted by 21Archer84

Not just the Viaggio, as a matter of fact even the Ottimo looks beautiful. It definitely doesn't look like an after thought of making an hatchback out of a sedan. Would make good replacements for the Linea and Punto.

I really doubt that. Viaggio (or Dodge Dart) has its direct competitors in Chevrolet Cruz or Hyundai Elantra. I don't think it can be priced anywhere close to current Linea's prices. Also, the Ottimo should be as spacious a hatchback as VW Golf or Cruz hatchback or i30. At the moment, there are no cars in India in this segment (well, Maruti may have one pretty soon).

Neither Viaggio (or Dodge Dart) nor Ottimo come with a diesel engine, as far as I know. The underlying platform supports diesel engines though.

I think 500L, with its MPV like stance, makes more sense than Ottimo. And, hopefully, Fiat India is now looking in the right direction by testing 500L.

[SchumiFan]

Originally Posted by rohanjf

I really doubt that. Viaggio (or Dodge Dart) has its direct competitors in Chevrolet Cruz or Hyundai Elantra. I don't think it can be priced anywhere close to current Linea's prices. Also, the Ottimo should be as spacious a hatchback as VW Golf or Cruz hatchback or i30. At the moment, there are no cars in India in this segment (well, Maruti may have one pretty soon).

I think the Dart comes up against Sonic and not the Cruze. It could very well be put at a price nearing Linea's. Saying that, I would rather see it in Viaggio's cloths than the Dart's with Auto option as well.

[1100D]

Originally Posted by FINTAIL

Jeep? Oh- you mean, JEEP. [/b]

On a different note, whats wrong with the Jeep, the picture of which you have posted (You cannot buy a Mahindra Major now for all the love or money!) . Infact, if Fiat can bring even this Jeep to life, they will be making progress.

Anyways, I guess, its time for mods to close this thread, till something much more concrete emerges from Fiat. By something more firm, I mean, some real launches, some real events, rather than just media reports. Being a Fiat Fan, one cannot avoid opening this thread at the same time, it's always a disappointment after doing so. Besides, the obvious loss of bandwidth.