[katchkamalesh]

Originally Posted by needforspeed88

Fiat has finally woken up from its slumber. Linea is a fanatastic looking car with clean lines. As long as they are willing to go the extra mile and back the excellent pricing with good after sales and service they can sell the car in healthy numbers in my honest opinion. The biggest plus for Linea in the segment along with its pricing is that it is not associated with a ''cheap car'' image. It looks good, is well put together, is fuel efficient and is a full sedan.

I strongly believe that this strategy of their will definitely lead to increased sales. The same is the case of Micra active, people with a budget of 4L had flocked to Nissan just because it is a bigger car than, say an Eon.

I believe that this strategy to retain the older gen cars with a decrease in the price makes the manufacturer to be present in all price points and this would also be beneficial to both the customer and the manufacturer considering the economies of scale.

I understand that, with the Taxi image, the brand would get a beating. Earlier only faithful Ambys & padminis were taxis but now there are whole bunch of cars operating as taxis, so I don’t think this will a major concern for the buyer, especially the Fiat owners who buy the car for its dynamics, which cannot be easily substituted.

Now, Fiat has to work a lot on after sales service aspect.

[Geo_Ipe]

Originally Posted by GTO

Primary reason is differentiation. This is just one of the ways that manufacturers distinguish between the cheaper / expensive models.

But wouldn't it affect the ride quality as well? Wouldn't that in turn hamper the Linea's image in the taxi fleet walla's eyes?

Apologies for being obsessed with the wheel size, I jst can't digest how the Linea looks on those puny shoes!

[puchoo]

Its a very good way to explain it , not sure i would call the ad unique by any definition , but its definitely a simple way to explain it which is why i said that they might take it to other mediums as well

Originally Posted by coolkurt

The Ad is very smart marketing imo. People in our country lust after a sedan, snob value. That was the reason for companies to bring in compact sedans in the first place. Hopefully it'll sell really well.

[vibbs]

Had a look at the linea classic when I went for pdi of my punto.
The puny wheels look hideous.
The interiors are bad too. Don't get me wrong, I love black interiors but not here. The plastics are rough textured and not at all good to look at and feel. However if they are targeting purely the taxi segment, these won't matter I guess.
For personal use, I believe not too exiting in flesh. As somebody said some time ago, if I had the budget of linea classic +, I would get myself a punto emotion.

[84.monsoon]

I wonder if FIAT will launch a Punto Classic now, priced to compete in the Nissan Micra Active territory? It would have to be priced at less than 4 Lacs or so to be competitive. I think it would be a good proposition for a City car. A base diesel version around 4.5 Lacs would make for a very good city runabout. Upsize the tires, add an audio system and there you have a nice looking fuel efficient hatch with good reliability, great ride and handling, huge ground clearance to take on all potholes in our cities confidently, solid fuel efficiency and adequate power (assuming they put in the same 1.3 Multijet engine with 75 bhp)

[julupani]

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

I wonder if FIAT will launch a Punto Classic now, priced to compete in the Nissan Micra Active territory? It would have to be priced at less than 4 Lacs or so to be competitive. I think it would be a good proposition for a City car. A base diesel version around 4.5 Lacs would make for a very good city runabout. Upsize the tires, add an audio system and there you have a nice looking fuel efficient hatch with good reliability, great ride and handling, huge ground clearance to take on all potholes in our cities confidently, solid fuel efficiency and adequate power (assuming they put in the same 1.3 Multijet engine with 75 bhp)

I dont think that is possible. The Linea Active was pretty well equipped. The Punto Active already have similar equipment levels as the Linea Classic. There really isnt much scope for any lower variants of the Punto. The Punto Active already has 14in wheels, with even punier 165/80 tyres. It doesnt get fog lights, has black colour grill, mirrors door handles etc. It already has the basic FGT engine.

Take a look at the Punto brochure and say what FIAT could possibly remove from the Active variant to create a lower Classic variant for the Punto.

[drsingh]

Originally Posted by Oranger

to what you said completely. Awesome car stripped down to bring in numbers!

What's wrong with that strategy? The Indian market is about price points. The other option for sustainable business for fiat would have been to make the cars more premium and make more profit selling lower numbers. Then it would have been "too expensive"

And in this case its not a chaiwala selling cappuccino but a Barista selling "chai " and there are lots of takers for that in India.

Putting cheap plastics aside, budget sedans in the USA too start at bare basic features, sometimes even skipping AC and go all the way upto engine, GPS, alloys etc. taking the cost almost double the original price.

I'm all for it. It will be better for consumers as the numbers going up will mean better service and spares, better resale. And fiat can hit bigger numbers without having to spend on a new platform.

Honda has the Amaze at price points starting from 5 lakh onwards. It competes with hatches as well as c segment sedans and automatics too. It competes across a wide market segment. They have differentiated with colours,alloys, rear view mirrors etc and it works.

Its a pretty sensible strategy. And guys complaining about tyres are not the target customers anyway

[puchoo]

Saw 2 Classics on the way to office today , both White , took a while for me to notice that it was a classic as well..... was driving behind the first one for 5 minutes and then only when i pulled up directly behind at a traffic light did i notice the badging. Looks identical from the back , unfortunately unable to get a side profile.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Geo_Ipe

But wouldn't it affect the ride quality as well? Wouldn't that in turn hamper the Linea's image in the taxi fleet walla's eyes?

Apologies for being obsessed with the wheel size, I jst can't digest how the Linea looks on those puny shoes!

Actually, the Linea Classic's ride quality will be superior to the regular Linea (15" wheels) and T-Jet (16" wheels).

Reason? Taller sidewall. More rubber = better cushioning. Here's a quick calculation of the sidewall size:

Linea Classic : 119 mm
Linea (15" wheels) : 117 mm
T-Jet : 112.75 mm

[nkrishnap]

Originally Posted by GTO

Actually, the Linea Classic's ride quality will be superior to the regular Linea (15" wheels) and T-Jet (16" wheels).

Reason? Taller sidewall. More rubber = better cushioning. Here's a quick calculation of the sidewall size:

Linea Classic : 119 mm
Linea (15" wheels) : 117 mm
T-Jet : 112.75 mm

Completely agree here. I did get a chance to drive it for around 5 kms on the broken roads. The ride was far more comfortable than my Linea which has the 16 inchers. The driveability is better too.

[pvgeorge]

Originally Posted by julupani

.

Take a look at the Punto brochure and say what FIAT could possibly remove from the Active variant to create a lower Classic variant for the Punto.

there are multiple things that can be stripped from Punto active

1) the minimal MJD that's shown (DTE, ave Kmpl, Inst Kmpl...)
2) Adjustable speed buzzar
3) Fuel Sensor
4) Audio System (although basic can further reduce prices)
5) Unserseat AC vent
6) Follow me lamp
7) Metal Seat back

I believe all these could further bring down the cost by further 20-30K from the 4.99L on offer now.

[Ponkermania]

The Linea Classic reminds me of my old Fiat Palio 1.2 - deeply flawed, but a hell of a lot of car for the money. No offense to any Fiat owners/lovers, in spite of its flaws, I still loved that car.

If I'm average Joe buyer, here's my thought process -

1. I would be quite tempted by the sheer size of the Linea, but the sluggish nature of the NA 1.4 FIRE mated to the heavy car would be quite offputting. This might also apply to the fixed geometry turbo powered 'national engine', though the greater torque does compensate a bit.
   
2. I would still be jittery about the A.S.S. I've been told its much better these days, but I still hear stories about long waits for parts, and I can't afford my car to be unavailable for that long.
   
3. Judging by my Palio 1.2, a small engine driving a big heavy car is never going to translate to any great fuel economy figures, especially when you are going up against the Maruti and Honda in this segment.
   
4. The resale value for Fiats are abysmally low, I know I'm going to lose a lot of money in the process. This is especially relevant if I'm considering the more expensive diesel.

Considering the above, it's difficult to make a case for this car on size alone.

While writing this post, it occurred to me how similar the Palio 1.2 and the Linea Classic are in the case they make (or made, in the case of the Palio) to the Indian buyer. As much as I like the car and hope that history doesn't repeat itself, I really don't see that happening.

[veyron_head]

Addition of a speed limit buzzer makes me guess fiat aimed at the commercial taxi segment. But why would a taxi operator buy a fiat now (ok i know padmini)?

Net net, It's not gonna rock the boat, sorry.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by Ponkermania

the sluggish nature of the NA 1.4 FIRE mated to the heavy car would be quite offputting.

The 1.4 petrol is sluggish only at the bottom end. It has sufficient whack if you keep it on the boil. In fact; on highway drives, it is far from stressed. It has incredible refinement too. If I were cash strapped and needed a large car, can live with some cheap bits on the inside, the classic in petrol guise still makes for a good deal. The Classic is probably lighter than standard Linea's so the 1.4l might work out.

You might want to thank Fiat for not launching the 1.2l in a Linea Classic. Going by some of the things they've done in the past (Siena 1.2l), I was looking forward to the 1.2l engine in a Linea Classic.

Speaking of sluggish engines, the Palio/Punto are no slouches once you get them to the ton. The 1.2's come to life when you are closing on to the ton. This is my personal observation after having driven both cars extensively.

[Ponkermania]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

The 1.4 petrol is sluggish only at the bottom end. It has sufficient whack if you keep it on the boil.

You might want to thank Fiat for not launching the 1.2l in a Linea Classic. Going by some of the things they've done in the past (Siena 1.2l), I was looking forward to the 1.2l engine in a Linea Classic.

You're right about the sluggish bottom end, but the bottom end is much worse than the bottom end in the engines it's rivals have, which is what I was getting at. Given that most Linea Classics will be used in cities and towns, the extremely sluggish bottom end is going to be an annoyance to most owners/prospective owners. I should know, I lived with it for 6 years.

Also, that top end is quite thirsty, if you visit often.

You're absolutely right about the possibility of a 1.2 in the Linea Classic, Fiat would have really shot themselves in the foot if they did that!

P. S. - All this talk about bottom ends makes me think we're in a 70s or 80s British comedy series! :-)