[Biraj]

Originally Posted by puchoo

I dont think so , Fiat might have claimed whatever they did but the proof of the pudding only came when the T-Jet arrived . And the enthusiasts still bought the car despite many problems with the Linea and fiat - so i dont think this is going to be a deal breaker.

With the change at top of Fiat India, their strategy for India seems to be changing as well. If I recollect the quotes from Enrico correctly, they all indicated Fiat's focus on the 'Enthusiasts' segment and the lack of Dzire for becoming a mass market player. Not sure about others but it certainly appealed to me as I would have preferred a manufacturer that sells niche products, over one that manufactures mass-market products that are built to a cost. I certainly wish Fiat success with this Classic plan!

Originally Posted by julupani

I doubt you need to worry about exclusivity of the Linea. Even if the Linea Classic does very very well, it will probably still be the least selling among its competitors. And overall there will still be far fewer Lineas on the road.

Precisely my point. They are trying to become something that they will struggle to but in the process, they run the risk of losing some proportion of their fans. Fiat can never match Maruti or Hyundai when it comes to targeting mass-market. With the sweet engine deal, it made all the sense for them to target the high-margin enthusiast segment over high-volume mass-segment. If their plan is to launch great products aimed at 'Enthusiasts' next year, then their plan to position their most premium product (in current lineup) with Amaze and Dzire is not a good move. I would love to be proven wrong by the market as I want Fiat to succeed as much as any other fan.

Originally Posted by JohnyBoy

That's the whole point, rt? for Fiat.

They have to either go 'mass' way or to go super premium with a small 'enthusiasts' segment. BMW or Merc can do business with few hundreds of sales a month, Fiat cannot, rt?

Agreed! The problem I have is with their confused positioning. One point they claim they are here for the enthusiast and at other point they launch a striped-down and even more sluggish (75 HP) Linea.

[puchoo]

Originally Posted by JohnyBoy

They have to either go 'mass' way or to go super premium with a small 'enthusiasts' segment. BMW or Merc can do business with few hundreds of sales a month, Fiat cannot, rt?

Not necessarily , i think you can have mass appeal and specifically target a niche community as well - look at the Polo GT TSI - Volkswagen has taken care of both segments i think.

Originally Posted by avira_tk

The Linea needs a reworked footwell, regulator type light switch, better space management with door pockets and an optional high end colour stereo to make it look the part. A 1.6MJD is definitely a need along with a slick shifting gearbox.

Agree with mostly everything except the footwell and the regulator. The footwell is something you get used to and then there is no more thought on it , the regulator switch i dont get...

[avira_tk]

Originally Posted by puchoo

Agree with mostly everything except the footwell and the regulator. The footwell is something you get used to and then there is no more thought on it , the regulator switch i dont get...

I think the footwell space can be managed better, I find the new Fiesta much more comfortable on highways, you can stretch you legs easily, of course it has the added benefit of cruise control

The light switch could be like the Volkswagen/Ford ones, turn the knob for different levels. The current setup means you can switch off the lights when you pull the stalk and your fingers grip the grooves. This is a problem for new drivers and seasoned ones when they get a big lazy

[JohnyBoy]

Originally Posted by puchoo

Not necessarily , i think you can have mass appeal and specifically target a niche community as well - look at the Polo GT TSI - Volkswagen has taken care of both segments i think....

I think that's the way Fiat is going. Linea is for mass appeal and Jeep and 500 for niche community. The confusion we have now is Linea is seen as a 'niche' product because of its low sales volume. It is not a premium car.

The difference is - Fiat (re)entered with 2 products, got enough volumes to be considered as special products. Now they are making one (or both may be) of the cars into mass market one, with plans for launching better/premium vehicles. In VW's case, Polo was established as a mass appeal product before the niche GT was introduced.

[julupani]

Originally Posted by avira_tk

The plastics on the inside hold up well, but the strip on the bonnet could have been a lot better. As long as you don't put any trim protector which gives a glare and makes driving in sunlight hell, the dull plastic on the dashboard is perfect in terms of visibility and hence safety.

The exterior plastic panel is a bad idea in India. The extreme heat will always discolour the plastic.

Originally Posted by JohnyBoy

They have to either go 'mass' way or to go super premium with a small 'enthusiasts' segment. BMW or Merc can do business with few hundreds of sales a month, Fiat cannot, rt?

Originally Posted by Biraj

With the change at top of Fiat India, their strategy for India seems to be changing as well.

............

Agreed! The problem I have is with their confused positioning. One point they claim they are here for the enthusiast and at other point they launch a striped-down and even more sluggish (75 HP) Linea.

I dont think FIAT ever said they were going to be a exclusive niche market player. They recognised that there is a strong loyal FIAT following in India, especially among the enthusiasts and they would cater to it. But not that they will only sell to that small clientele.

FIAT are not Merc or BMW, who have products with high margins, and only assemble cars in India. FIAT makes the entire cars in India, and has a much larger assembly facility. They cannot sustain themselves in India if they do not improve numbers.

If you want FIAT to be a exclusive niche player, get ready to pay a lot more for your next FIAT. As the assembly plant will have to be shut down, and most of their suppliers will stop making FIAT parts making owners rely on imported parts.

Originally Posted by avira_tk

The light switch could be like the Volkswagen/Ford ones, turn the knob for different levels. The current setup means you can switch off the lights when you pull the stalk and your fingers grip the grooves. This is a problem for new drivers and seasoned ones when they get a big lazy

You need to get your combo switch looked at. In 4 years I have never seen the light knob turn while pulling it, either to change between high and low beams or while using the turn indicators.

Originally Posted by JohnyBoy

I think that's the way Fiat is going.

.....

The difference is - Fiat (re)entered with 2 products, got enough volumes to be considered as special products. Now they are making one (or both may be) of the cars into mass market one, with plans for launching better/premium vehicles. In VW's case, Polo was established as a mass appeal product before the niche GT was introduced.

Just because the Linea and the Punto did not set the sales charts on fire, does not mean that they were meant only for FIAT loyalists. Just like the Polo and Vento, the Linea and Punto were always mass market vehicles. Just that they were unsuccessful ones. Do you think Ford wanted to sell the new Fiesta to the Ford loyalists and performance oriented buyers???

[puchoo]

Originally Posted by avira_tk

I think the footwell space can be managed better, I find the new Fiesta much more comfortable on highways, you can stretch you legs easily, of course it has the added benefit of cruise control

The light switch could be like the Volkswagen/Ford ones, turn the knob for different levels. The current setup means you can switch off the lights when you pull the stalk and your fingers grip the grooves. This is a problem for new drivers and seasoned ones when they get a big lazy

Fair enough on the foot well i suppose , personally yes , the fabia was better than the T-Jet but i dont think it to be that much of a problem.

The auto headlamp switch i think takes care of that to a degree , its reasonably accurate in terms of its sensors. But i did not understand about the pulling the stalk part - the stalk is rotary so you rotate for the setting you want and high beams come on when the stalk is pulled...

[avira_tk]

Originally Posted by puchoo

. But i did not understand about the pulling the stalk part - the stalk is rotary so you rotate for the setting you want and high beams come on when the stalk is pulled...

Sometimes you twist your fingers while operating the stalk, rotate the switch towards you and the lights go off, it turns away from you to switch on the lights. Not a big problem, it's more to do with the fact that most cars have the rotary knob on the dash, it looks classy and leaves the stalk free.

A boot opening button like the one on the old Fiesta would be nice, right now the lower variants come with a floor mounted handle.

[Arkesh]

Originally Posted by skyline gtr r34

No steering controls, Blue&Me and a lot of other features cut

From these images I have a gut feeling that they are going to price it pretty low.

[puchoo]

Ok , well like you wrote , not a big problem , not sure if the Linea really has the space as well to be able to accommodate it , the typical position for the regulator type is towards the right of the steering column and then dropped a bit with respect to height - the Linea has the entire menu controls and the fog controls located there and below that is the small cavity.

Originally Posted by avira_tk

Sometimes you twist your fingers while operating the stalk, rotate the switch towards you and the lights go off, it turns away from you to switch on the lights. Not a big problem, it's more to do with the fact that most cars have the rotary knob on the dash, it looks classy and leaves the stalk free.

A boot opening button like the one on the old Fiesta would be nice, right now the lower variants come with a floor mounted handle.

[Biraj]

Originally Posted by julupani

I dont think FIAT ever said they were going to be a exclusive niche market player. They recognised that there is a strong loyal FIAT following in India, especially among the enthusiasts and they would cater to it. But not that they will only sell to that small clientele.

FIAT are not Merc or BMW, who have products with high margins, and only assemble cars in India. FIAT makes the entire cars in India, and has a much larger assembly facility. They cannot sustain themselves in India if they do not improve numbers.

If you want FIAT to be a exclusive niche player, get ready to pay a lot more for your next FIAT. As the assembly plant will have to be shut down, and most of their suppliers will stop making FIAT parts making owners rely on imported parts.

We can certainly agree to disagree on our perceived positioning of Linea within the Indian market. I always saw parallel between what Royal Enfield has achieved in India and what Fiat could achieve in India. Anyway, let's wait for the market to decide which way Fiat goes.

[neoonwheels]

Take home a sedan at the price of a hatchback.. This is the new tagline FIAT has come up on their FB page few mins back.

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by neoonwheels

Take home a sedan at the price of a hatchback.. This is the new tagline FIAT has come up on their FB page few mins back.

Is that a guaranteed offer or a possibility?

Do you have a black Punto?

[nskumar]

Launching tomorrow, the sedan that comes at the price of a hatchback.

[neoonwheels]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

Is that a guaranteed offer or a possibility?

Do you have a black Punto?

Yup, I have a diesel black Punto. Any chance you have a blue Jazz and we waved at each other some days back?

[djay99]

Autocar expects prices of Linea classic to start from 5.99L for petrol variant and 6.95L for diesel variant.
Click here for more information.

Current Linea T-jet is discontinued then