[NFS2024]

I read a news the other day, which stated that FCA will be converting all Fiat dealerships into Multi brand Fiat-Chrysler dealerships across the country so that they have more models to sell in the dealerships.

It also mentioned that a new incentive program is being worked out for all the dealers under the FCA brand.

Has anyone else come across this news and is there any more information on this?

[nikhil0405]

Originally Posted by NFS2024

I read a news the other day, which stated that FCA will be converting all Fiat dealerships into Multi brand Fiat-Chrysler dealerships across the country so that they have more models to sell in the dealerships.

It also mentioned that a new incentive program is being worked out for all the dealers under the FCA brand.

Has anyone else come across this news and is there any more information on this?

I don't think so. The Jay Vijay dealership in Pune is in the process of being shut down since they were denied Jeep dealership. I heard the same about another dealership. Not sure where that was NCR or Kerala.

From a dealer perspective it will be good if they allow multiple brands in the same showroom. Since they are positioning the Jeep as a premium car, it looks unlikely.

[NFS2024]

Originally Posted by nikhil0405

I don't think so. The Jay Vijay dealership in Pune is in the process of being shut down since they were denied Jeep dealership. I heard the same about another dealership. Not sure where that was NCR or Kerala.

From a dealer perspective it will be good if they allow multiple brands in the same showroom. Since they are positioning the Jeep as a premium car, it looks unlikely.

OK, this was the news item I was talking about.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...w/53625777.cms

[fine69]

I've taken the below image from this post



Could somebody confirm whether the plan that's been shown has indeed coincided with the actual launches?

And specifically, any scoop on the 2018 Abarth Punto that's planned? I'm yet to find any article on this. Wanted to know whether it'd be an even better state of tune from existing 145 bhp or considering that it didn't sell very well, they might just retain the decals and give the mediocre Punto Evo engine?

[vinit.merchant]

Since we are endlessly discussing Fiat's strategy in India, here's my very brief experience on Fiat.

Took an Uber yesterday and was happy to find out it was a Punto. Liked the ride quality and the ride re-ignited that *good old* Fiat bug in me.
Since I am already looking out for a replacement for my Palio, I thought I should give Punto Evo too a look, resale be damned, that puny 1.2 68ps engine on a 1.1 ton car be damned (my requirement is strictly Petrol).

Now here is the irony.

They have nothing but Dynamic variant in Petrol.
ABS is missing from the 1.2 dynamic.
No option for Airbags.
And the price that it sells for (6.7L OTR).

You see, today when the mindset is shifting towards Petrol engines, Fiat has nothing to offer for the prospective buyers.
Safety features - Here too the mindset is slowly shifting towards safety and people "are" opting for Airbags. For a company who was the first in our country to offer Airbags, does not offer any on its petrol variant, and not even as an option on its diesel variants. So if someone wants Airbags and a Punto, then the only option is the Diesel Emotion.

So what remains in the end is whether I want only a Fiat or no. If the "Fiat bug" doesn't die down, I have to live with Out of the city FASS, terrible resale (ask me about my Palio), No safety features as options, lethargic 1.2 FIRE engine plus some more. And all these will cost me 6.7L on road (maybe 50-60k in discounts but still).

So I ask myself why should I even consider it, say in place of a Polo comfortline with all safety features and that premium feel?

Since I am slowly entering the 40's of my life, I have stopped deciding everything by my heart and I have started taking that "practical thinking" approach.
The practical in me says Punto is not what will make the cut for me. I am compromising a little too much just for that little bug in me who refuses to settle down.

Here concludes my brief experience of considering the Punto. I spent all of 30 min online and struck if off the list.
As for the bug, it is settled for now. We agreed with each other and I promised I will not sit in another Punto till I buy the next car. That was an easy fix.

[rsidd]

Upcoming Jeep showroom on OMR, Thoraipakkam, Chennai, next to Maruti Nexa opposite Renault

[desdemona]

Originally Posted by vinit.merchant

Since we are endlessly discussing Fiat's strategy in India

Took an Uber yesterday and was happy to find out it was a Punto. Liked the ride quality and the ride re-ignited that *good old* Fiat bug in me.

So what remains in the end is whether I want only a Fiat or no. If the "Fiat bug" doesn't die down, I have to live with Out of the city FASS, terrible resale (ask me about my Palio), No safety features as options, lethargic 1.2 FIRE engine plus some more. And all these will cost me 6.7L on road (maybe 50-60k in discounts but still).

So I ask myself why should I even consider it, say in place of a Polo comfortline with all safety features and that premium feel?

I suspect they do not offer a 1.2 petrol emotion, as loaded as the diesel one, because you're anomalous in your requirements from an Indian Fiat. Consider this: if they did offer a fully-loaded variant it would be regarded as too-expensive (how much does the Polo comfortline cost, btw?), not by you necessarily but among the wider prospective customer base, miniscule as it is for Fiat in any case.

Since other 1.2 litre petrol engined cars are that much lighter in their engineering and build etc a similar requirement as yours does not affect other firms' models in the marketplace (cost/price/value/margins.)

I guess they're trying to incentivize folks towards the diesel emotion, and of course now the 1.4 t-jet/Abarth, and then there is the very financially hurtful for Fiat matter of the 1.2 litre (petrol) excise duty cutoff. After all, the good ride quality, suspension and build+component quality etc costs more money to build, one imagines.

It is not an equation they've figured out for anything other than the diesel emotion and the t-jet (and even they sell desultorily), and yet as you say so much of the market is now for feature-laden, excise duty-benefitted 1.2 litre engine commuter-petrol hatches.

If they lighten the build, the suspension and chassis engineering, well then the ride-handling and brand dna is ruined.

Damned (financially) either way, i think. And this is not even to consider the poor resale and the fears about aftersales quality, etc.

Which, i suspect, is why FIAT will be withdrawn from India in a year or three, once (if?) JEEP settles in half-decently. The brand itself is by now too enfeebled in the wider market (beyong the 'bugged'!), and its very dna makes its cost/margins completely uncompetitive imo in india. The cars themselves, let alone the brand, its dealers etc, are financially uncompetitive IF they are to make any margins on them. Imo.

I do NOT think they will down-engineer an all-new model or three just-for-RHD-India, or develop India-special/unique ones (as attempted slightly by them with the Avventura): they have no hope in hell of the required scale economies to keep costs competitive for future Punto/Linea-replacements, after all localization is not enough: you need scale (at least through export-volumes and/or vicariously through engine sales to Tata or Maruti.)

RHD Indian fiats have little export demand, since FIAT is primarily a lhd markets player, and their rhd market demand abroad is for the EuroChic 500 family of cars, rather than say the Tipo or the Uno or a Brazilian 'new Punto'.

Dim to no export demand for Indian rhd Fiats, no feasible scale even-possible in India (for all the many reasons discussed in so many threads.) As well as: not allowed by brand dna and reputation to cost-cut on build, 'safety', ride-handling etc.

ERGO: the financial case for a withdrawal of FIAT from India is pretty open-and-shut imo.

Which is not at all to say Fiat platforms and powertrains in JEEP translation/avatar (b- and c-suv, locally-made) are unviable, especially since they're very exportable and can enjoy some 'pricing power'? That remains to be seen...

[vinit.merchant]

Originally Posted by desdemona

I suspect they do not offer a 1.2 petrol emotion, as loaded as the diesel one, because you're anomalous in your requirements from an Indian Fiat. Consider this: if they did offer a fully-loaded variant it would be regarded as too-expensive (how much does the Polo comfortline cost, btw?), not by you necessarily but among the wider prospective customer base, miniscule as it is for Fiat in any case.

The Polo comfortline goes to 6.8 OTR, and the Highline crosses the 8L mark. Do note that these prices are for the 3 pot 1.2 petrol engine.

Originally Posted by desdemona

Which, i suspect, is why FIAT will be withdrawn from India in a year or three, once (if?) JEEP settles in half-decently. The brand itself is by now too enfeebled in the wider market (beyong the 'bugged'!), and its very dna makes its cost/margins completely uncompetitive imo in india.


ERGO: the financial case for a withdrawal of FIAT from India is pretty open-and-shut imo.

Two things to note
1. Till the time the 1.3 multijet is being used by various manufacturers, Fiat's Ranjangaon facility will keep operating. Cars are a side business, and hence you see no aggression by the company in selling them + some strange brand image spoiling decision from the management.
2. You mentioned JEEP? Well, they ensured its dead on arrival by pricing it that way. Though there are talks of Jeep trying to make Sub 20L SUV's, but then these are plans and we all know how good Fiat is in implementing the plans/road map.

[Lij]

Finally a new dealership in Mumbai. This is updated on the Fiat India website as well.

http://auto.ndtv.com/news/fiat-and-j...mumbai-1479116

Landmark Lifestyle Cars Pvt Ltd
Ground Floor, D Wing, Shivsagar Estate, Dr. Annie Besant Road, Worli - 400018, Mumbai
Phone No : 022-66752222/ +919833860000

[invidious]

Originally Posted by Lij

Finally a new dealership in Mumbai. This is updated on the Fiat India website as well.

http://auto.ndtv.com/news/fiat-and-j...mumbai-1479116

Landmark Lifestyle Cars Pvt Ltd
Ground Floor, D Wing, Shivsagar Estate, Dr. Annie Besant Road, Worli - 400018, Mumbai
Phone No : 022-66752222/ +919833860000

Thanks and this is their new service center.


Landmark Lifestyle Cars Pvt Ltd
15, Ground Floor, Mahableshwar Property, Champion Compound, Parsi Panchayat Off Western Express Highway, Andheri East - 400069, Mumbai


It's not very far - I think the closest one earlier was in Thane. I have a Linea and was quite happy with the Fiat-Tata service center in Worli. Shame they broke the service agreement also.

[rameshnanda]

While this is good news for Fiat owners in Mumbai, I think Fiat is still confused on branding Jeep in India. I was thinking Jeep is going to have an exclusive sales and service center. This seems to be not the case at least in Mumbai. And I don't think there is any other joint showroom (Fiat and Jeep) elsewhere in the country.

Did Fiat ever talk about the strategy of Jeep branding in India?

[desdemona]

I suspect it will be a sort-of 'Premium/lifestyle-image yet Accessible/Mass/Democratic', covering a wide price- and segment-range rather than 'Aristocratic'/'Luxury'?

i.e., American/global rather than 'European Bourgeois'? Like say a Toyota specialist-suv-original-brand that is familiar already in India (despite its hitherto absence) rather than say Land/RangeRover or say Mercedes suv-s?

Well, it should, at any rate. Especially, since that is how it is positioned and postulated in Europe, China and LatAm, etc, while being an outright mass-market-brand in the USA. 'Earthy, down-to-earth, rugged, tough yet Premium' kind-of thing?

Let's see once the brand marketing begins, through to the launch of the more affordable model the new Compass/c-suv, locally-made, in mid/late 2017.

The later non-metro dealerships, in 2017, will it seems be more like the Mumbai one: combined-FCA, Jeep+FIAT/Abarth, perhaps mostly, albeit spruced-up and upgraded, current-FIAT ones? Or so economics would seem to dictate, imo?

@rameshnanda

[Lij]

I was trying to contact the new showroom in Mumbai from the details given on FIAT India website but was unable to reach them. I called up the customer support and the lady at the end end mentioned that they haven't received any official information on the Mumbai showroom and at present they don't have one in the city!!!

When I informed her that the new showroom as well as the service center details are there on their website I was told that they are still in the process of setting it up and have no idea when it would be ready.

[Moto_Hill]

Unconfirmed news: Fiat is coming up with a service only facility at Wagholi.

After shutting of Fiat operations by Jay-Vijay. Sky Moto is the only authorised option left for pune .

[shibujp]

Originally Posted by NFS2024

I read a news the other day, which stated that FCA will be converting all Fiat dealerships into Multi brand Fiat-Chrysler dealerships across the country so that they have more models to sell in the dealerships.

It also mentioned that a new incentive program is being worked out for all the dealers under the FCA brand.

Has anyone else come across this news and is there any more information on this?

Dealers already struggling to sell the lower priced Lineas and Punto surely would not be thrilled at selling over priced Wranglers and Cherokees.

Drive on,
Shibu.