[Arindam_Nayek]

Good to see some Buzz on the new Tipo. It looks elegant and might be the right successor for Linea. What about Fiat dealerships. They don't have interest in selling the vehicles at all. False commitments, bad marketing and lethargic approach of the sales team would not help. They need a serious revamp of their infrastructure including the sales strategy to improve their market share in the Indian Market.
Till then its a bye bye from me.

[deathwalkr]

There was an ad in today's regional newspaper. Said discounts upto Rs.40,000. The catch? Valid upto 31st January!!!

Sometimes i don't even

[jayded]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

There was an ad in today's regional newspaper. Said discounts upto Rs.40,000. The catch? Valid upto 31st January!!!

Sometimes i don't even

Since Fiat themselves are time-traveling with the Punto Pure, they might be expecting their customers to do the same.

[volkman10]

India-bound SUV will be released to the media very soon.

This comes at a time when Jeep has been caught testing a small SUV in India. It appears to be the Renegade in all that camouflage and there is a possibility of Jeep Indianizing its major components and parts to keep costs under check

http://motorbash.com/jeep-announces-...suv-exclusive/

[King_pin09]

Originally Posted by Arindam_Nayek

Good to see some Buzz on the new Tipo. It looks elegant and might be the right successor for Linea. What about Fiat dealerships. They don't have interest in selling the vehicles at all. False commitments, bad marketing and lethargic approach of the sales team would not help. They need a serious revamp of their infrastructure including the sales strategy to improve their market share in the Indian Market.
Till then its a bye bye from me.

Absolutely well said mate.

With all new launches in the pipeline we can at least say that FIAT is moving in the right direction, albeit slowly and with baby steps.

[Motard_Blr]

An interesting article on Fiat's strategy and future in today's Business Standard:

http://www.business-standard.com/art...0101328_1.html

[nkrishnap]

Originally Posted by Motard_Blr

An interesting article on Fiat's strategy and future in today's Business Standard:

http://www.business-standard.com/art...0101328_1.html

Fiat is already irrelevant in the market thanks to their lousy management trying to flog the market with just 2 products. They will not sit up and take notice until the engine sales fall. Once that happens either they have to shut shop and get out or simply get multiple models (not outdated ones) to arrive at some respectable number.

PS: Expecting anything from Fiat is as good as day dreaming

[NFS2024]

Originally Posted by Motard_Blr

An interesting article on Fiat's strategy and future in today's Business Standard:

http://www.business-standard.com/art...0101328_1.html

It is indeed a very interesting article and a scary one for customers like us.

Imagine a scenario if some of the dealers do not renew their contract, many of us will be left in the lurch.

I hope the dealers will be able to somehow sustain till 2017 for some new models to be launched. Fingers crossed !

[King_pin09]

Originally Posted by Motard_Blr

An interesting article on Fiat's strategy and future in today's Business Standard:

http://www.business-standard.com/art...0101328_1.html

Good to know that FIAT (at least by now) has realized where they stand in India. All their efforts hitherto for revival were half-hearted and totally disconnected with the market dynamics. Punto Pure is the newest example. I seriously hope they do not repeat the same henceforth.

Since 2000, Fiat has brought only 5 entirely new products viz., Uno, Palio, Punto, 500 and Linea. All others such as Avventura, Pure, Abarth, Stile, et al are just reincarnation / rechristening of one of these already existing models and nothing new has been offered. News relating to launch of more modern cars such as Bravo, Panda, Tipo etc., have been proven wrong, time and again.

FIAT needs to understand that Indian buyer has other viable choices which are more modern and functional. Buyer can very much afford a better car if available at a proper price point and with satisfactory back up.

FIAT needs to pull up its socks immediately and bring in more competitive models before the brand turns FIAT (Fading off Into thin Air with Time) in India.

[amit]

Originally Posted by Motard_Blr

An interesting article on Fiat's strategy and future in today's Business Standard:

http://www.business-standard.com/art...0101328_1.html

I saw 2 Jeep Renegade's flanked by 2 Punto's - one leading the convoy and another at the back on the Expressway yesterday. The Renegade just had the badges covered and seemed almost production ready. Not sure why they are talking about a 2017 launch for that car.

Looking at Fiat's history in India I have a feeling that Fiat will mess up Jeep as well. Already the launch got delayed from 2013 to 2016 and even now only the CBU's will come. Jeep is heading for trouble if they think they can bank on Fiat's experience.

[carwatcher]

Whenever this thread is updated its kind of disappointment. Now we have endless updates from Chrysler, Abarth, Fiat and Jeep even though yet to see any concrete news.
Who knows when Superbs, Fortuners, Endeavours and Cretas can succeed despite being a very expensive products, Jeep can succeed too, but only if they launch it first.

[nkrishnap]

Originally Posted by amit

I saw 2 Jeep Renegade's flanked by 2 Punto's - one leading the convoy and another at the back on the Expressway yesterday. The Renegade just had the badges covered and seemed almost production ready. Not sure why they are talking about a 2017 launch for that car.

Looking at Fiat's history in India I have a feeling that Fiat will mess up Jeep as well. Already the launch got delayed from 2013 to 2016 and even now only the CBU's will come. Jeep is heading for trouble if they think they can bank on Fiat's experience.

A couple of reasons for the delay I can think of are

1. Dealer development (that is if they want a separate channel and also to find someone who will be interested to put a jeep dealership)
2. Localization, vendor development, testing might be adding to the delay.

[jetti]

Kevin Flynn acknowledges a very important point in this article:

Fiat is aware of the task at hand. "The one reaction that we get from people in India is that, 'I am not sure if you are going to stay in India'. There is this constant thing of us being in and out (of the market)," Kevin Flynn, president and managing director, Fiat Chrysler India said. Flynn is referring to Fiat's forgettable record in India. With two failed joint ventures (with Premier Automobile and a distribution venture with Tata Motors) the company has struggled...

Acknowledging the problem is good, but it remains to be seen what is done about it and how successful they are in reversing this opinion.

Originally Posted by Motard_Blr

An interesting article on Fiat's strategy and future in today's Business Standard:

http://www.business-standard.com/art...0101328_1.html

[perty]

Originally Posted by Motard_Blr

An interesting article on Fiat's strategy and future in today's Business Standard:

http://www.business-standard.com/art...0101328_1.html

Having owned a Palio Stile for several years, I can safely say that the writing was on the wall as far as the dealerships were concerned.

With hardly any sales of new vehicles, their only other major revenue stream to sustain themselves was after sales service. Every time I took my car to them, they would enthusiastically push for part replacements. The Palio Stile parts were hard to come by as it was not in production anywhere else in the world other than Brazil. Even when they were available, they were quite expensive. One could argue that this was just the Palio's fate, but then, would it be any different for somebody who buys a Punto/Linea today or would it only be a matter of time before they meet the same fate as well. This was enough to make me drive away from Fiat for good.

Fiat didnt really seem to be genuinely doing anything about the mess the dealerships were in. The company was doing well, with the diesel engine business being milked to drive profits. The AMT business is now slowly emerging as the successor to the diesel engines.

Purely from a financial view, just as the article echoes, it might be better for them to move away from the automobile sales business in India and instead focus their energies on the component supplies. A lot of Fiat enthusiasts will be left disappointed (again), but Fiat will probably stand to gain as a company by focusing on their strengths in this region.

[Motard_Blr]

The same discussion is going on at GM India and I had proposed that the smaller manufacturers face reality and accept that they will have to share dealers, showrooms and service centres.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post3841832

Originally Posted by Motard_Blr

If a car maker does not sell enough vehicles for a dealer to justify the cost of setting up an exclusive showroom and service facilities, then the only option for both dealer and manufacturer is to have a multi-brand outlet. This is common abroad for both cars and bikes, particularly in areas where sales are not expected to high enough to justify a single brand to setup but the expected combined sales of several brands will be profitable.

Going by this scenario, GM, Fiat, Nissan, Datsun and maybe even Renault, if the Kwid somehow flops, would all have to consider allowing this type of retailing. At the very least, they should allow exclusive showrooms with common service centres.

India is a medium sized market at the moment, in both value and volume, but the growth potential is high. The only way to survive in this environment is by investing big and investing for the long run. GM doesn't look like they are capable or interested in doing either. Fiat also don't seem to care - doing well in India requires India-specific products which they don't have. Nissan doesn't care since almost everything they make in India is exported. Renault has brought the Kwid and I really hope Renault does what is required for the Kwid to do well. As an Indian consumer, I hope that the Kwid's success will encourage others also to bring innovative products.