[vinit.merchant]

Since Fiat is up to such lame gimmicks, may I put in to them a suggestion to re-launch the Fiat Palio design (not the stile, but the GTX one). The GTX version with the T-Jet engine would be a total drool, and with that amazing suspension and handling, what the heck.

The Mjd on it would keep the taxi drivers happy too.

I mean, if you have decided to go backwards, might as well surprise the market, no?

[akshay_b]

Guys, I'm seriously considering buying the Punto Pure emotion variant, we already have the pre-facelift Punto (driven by my sister) and I cant get over the beauty of the car, with huge discounts on the Pure Punto I'm sure it will be very tempting.

Does it make sense to buy the previous generation Punto over the Punto Evo or should I look for newer European cars like Polo or upgrade to a Vento/Rapid?

[coolboy007]

Originally Posted by akshay_b

Does it make sense to buy the previous generation Punto over the Punto Evo or should I look for newer European cars like Polo or upgrade to a Vento/Rapid?

Does not make sense according to me, you already have a Punto Evo and it is not worth buying one again. You can now upgrade to a good c segment sedan like Rapid/Vento diesel automatic. Has much more space, much more power from the engine, convenience of an automatic, snob value, better built etc.

Punto Pure is a very old product and i think it is fit for taxi market or if you are extremely tight on budget, get some thing new.

[raghu.bramha]

Originally Posted by akshay_b

Guys, I'm seriously considering buying the Punto Pure emotion variant, we already have the pre-facelift Punto (driven by my sister) and I cant get over the beauty of the car, with huge discounts on the Pure Punto I'm sure it will be very tempting.

Does it make sense to buy the previous generation Punto over the Punto Evo or should I look for newer European cars like Polo or upgrade to a Vento/Rapid?

Dear akshay_b, I can understand your confusion. I saw the news and was instantly happy but as I read through, the idea here is Fiat is selling off old stock and the upgrades in terms of interior is still subject to their final decision. Without the interior upgrades there is no real value-add to the buyer. So I would NOT suggest you to buy this version of the car unless you hate the way Punto Evo looks. Believe me I own the 2012 model and still love the car and if I have to be honest I will buy this very same car again if need be. But there are better options now. I will not suggest anyone to go the punto way and end up disappointed. This car is now strictly for the enthusiasts who like the pre-facelift design and are OK with all the niggles and short comings ( May be the taxi fleet in coming days ).
I suggest you look at other options like VW Polo or The New Figo.

Punto is one car which seriously confuses people. I mean, it has every thing in extremes. On one hand it gives you a timeless design ( Designed by ITALDesign), great MJD engine (a.k.a National Engine) and a chassis made in heaven ( For which it has a huge fan following) but it will also ruin it with its outdated interiors, rubbery gear shifts and huge service bills.

I have seen quite a few brand new Punto Evos being driven as cabs in Bengaluru. I wonder what is the idea of getting a not so affordable car to use as cab. Is there some discounts offered by dealers which I don't know about!!!!

[neoonwheels]

Would love to have the new EVO interiors in the OLD Punto body shell . I dont know why FIAT is now looking to bring this up after investing money into the EVO facelift. Strange, but then again its FIAT

[lapis_lazuli]

Originally Posted by neoonwheels

I dont know why FIAT is now looking to bring this up after investing money into the EVO facelift. Strange, but then again its FIAT

They had invested money in the earlier model as well: and many external components lay unused in the inventory if the planned number of cars do not roll out/manufactured. The same case with Linea classic. Now Punto pure. Plus, the India government rule says stock spares for 10 years. 10 years is now the "new" lifecycle of their most favorite car! The earlier model itself is 6 years old, and phased out for 1.5 years now. Clocks ticking for the inventory!

[anand.shankar]

Originally Posted by veyron_head

This could be true. There was ad on the paper about benefits up to 1.5 lacs on the punto. I called vecto motors in Bangalore and the sales guy told me that the 1.5 lacs is for the pre-facelift version that was manufactured before the punto evo.

I asked him again if he is actually talking about a car manufactured more than an year ago and is lying idle. He said YES!

Are you sure ? Because When I was buying the Evo in August, I called up every dealer in Bangalore and nearby looking for a pre-facelift car, couldn't find one in KA, KL or TN even after a lot of persuasion.

I hope they restrict the Pure version for the Taxi market, coz the 'snob' advantage (if any) of owning a Punto was the 'no taxi' claim, now with Ola picking up a few Evos even that claim is getting dented

[rav11stars]

"wow" "oh crap" "really?" "sad" "oh come on" : just some of the expressions I had while going through these three pages.
People just can't have it enough. Someone shouts "snake!!", everyone gather around and beat the life out of it. Someone else says "wait, it's a rat snake" and then someone "yeh, it's still a snake; ought to be killed".

An Alto Flash (!!), Swift RS, music edition, Glory, windsong : People flock to the dealers in hordes with some dealerships looking like marriage ceremonies. Ask them why and no one knows. "The swift now comes with racing stripes and black roof; ooh, I'm so excited!!."

Then there's FIAT : Selling engines for a living and making cars for a hobby. Some ignorant ones who unknowingly drive cars before planning to own one, drive these hobby pieces, buy them and call them masterpieces. Some even travel half-way around the world in them without breaking their back. But still they get battered : rubbery gear-box, messed-up ergonomics, the clutch is too long, service costs!
Ask them how/why : "A friend told me", "I've read it in a review", "I just know!!"
Did they also mention at least in some fine-print that it's a safe car and pocket-friendly? : "I don't know, but I read that it doesn't come with auto-dimming IRVM".

All those who've bought them are just driving them as they have no other options but to bear with all these short-comings. Why? low resale value. yippee, yet another shortcoming.
All the while poor FIAT manages sales equivalent to that of a Benz or a BMW, while still keeping the cost at a fraction of their price So someone comes up with this idea,
"how about selling off our cars to unsuspecting taxi customer-base?"
"oh. no. the Maruti cousins and Indicas were already there."
"wait, we've already lost and got nothing more to lose. But unlike others let's at least make it a good value proposition".

Now no one knows if it's the GP with new interiors, or just the GP with a reduced price. Don't worry, it's not going to topple the charts of the Alto or the Kwid. It'll be somewhere above the x-axis trodden and broken. After all, it's ergonomics are messed, ain't they

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by rav11stars

"wow" "oh crap" "really?" "sad" "oh come on" : just some of the expressions I had while going through these three pages.
People just can't have it enough. Someone shouts "snake!!", everyone gather around and beat the life out of it. Someone else says "wait, it's a rat snake" and then someone "yeh, it's still a snake; ought to be killed".

An Alto Flash (!!), Swift RS, music edition, Glory, windsong : People flock to the dealers in hordes with some dealerships looking like marriage ceremonies. Ask them why and no one knows. "The swift now comes with racing stripes and black roof; ooh, I'm so excited!!."

Now no one knows if it's the GP with new interiors, or just the GP with a reduced price. Don't worry, it's not going to topple the charts of the Alto or the Kwid. It'll be somewhere above the x-axis trodden and broken. After all, it's ergonomics are messed, ain't they

I'm sorry, is this a rant? I see a few such posts quite a few times so just asking. No one, atleast on this forum, has been poked or prodded for buying a Fiat mate. They look beautiful until recently (not a fan of their new designs), they ride well and they give you hydraulic steering. Sure they have flaws like an awful gearbox and odd ergos but doesn't every car come with flaws that are openly pointed out in an enthusiast forum? Still a lot of people buy them don't they? Because to some they do not matter as much or don't make any effect and that is perfectly understandable. No one here has ever been a fan of cars like the Swift "rs" infact I'm sure we all marvel at how they could ever be a success and yearn for something more, but it does not take a genius to see that this could very well be a flawed approach by Fiat to create sales and we would all react the same even if Maruti were to do something as silly like say perhaps they launch the first generation Swift, today. "Poor Fiat"? I'm not going to go about being sentimental about it mate. There are several under appreciated products out there from nearly every manufacturer but it is generally seen as the company's fault if something does not do well. Look at Ford; makes cars that are consistently good to drive, has stood its ground and done pretty decently so perhaps we needn't get too touchy and sensitive about comments made on such a launch

[S2!!!]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

No one here has ever been a fan of cars like the Swift "rs" infact I'm sure we all marvel at how they could ever be a success and yearn for something more, but it does not take a genius to see that this could very well be a flawed approach by Fiat to create sales and we would all react the same even if Maruti were to do something as silly like say perhaps they launch the first generation Swift, today.

I'm not too sure about that. It seems most out here are welcoming this move, no matter how ridiculous it sounds (at least to me). Also, I don't see why we should drag Maruti into every Fiat thread because of their silly sticker jobs. Look at Maruti's sales record. The company knows the pulse of the Indian market like no one else does. If there is a demand, Maruti has a product. Heck, they even introduced ABS + airbags on some of their entry level cars as an option across all variants and their new gen cars have safety variants across variants. Now Fiat fan boys will argue about their weak structure etc. etc. hence I never wanted to reply to this thread in the first place.

My whole point is that if Fiat had thought this through at the time of the Evo's launch and sold the Punto 2012 side-by-side like the Fiesta + Classic or the Linea + Classic or the Dzire + Tour, it would make sense. But bringing back a 2009 design in 2016 after discontinuing it in 2014 clearly is a flawed strategy. I'll still wait for Fiat to officially confirm this news before debating any further.

[rav11stars]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

I'm sorry, is this a rant? I see a few such posts quite a few times so just asking. No one, atleast on this forum, has been poked or prodded for buying a Fiat mate. They look beautiful until recently (not a fan of their new designs), they ride well and they give you hydraulic steering. Sure they have flaws like an awful gearbox and odd ergos but doesn't every car come with flaws that are openly pointed out in an enthusiast forum? Still a lot of people buy them don't they? Because to some they do not matter as much or don't make any effect and that is perfectly understandable. No one here has ever been a fan of cars like the Swift "rs" infact I'm sure we all marvel at how they could ever be a success and yearn for something more, but it does not take a genius to see that this could very well be a flawed approach by Fiat to create sales and we would all react the same even if Maruti were to do something as silly like say perhaps they launch the first generation Swift, today. "Poor Fiat"? I'm not going to go about being sentimental about it mate. There are several under appreciated products out there from nearly every manufacturer but it is generally seen as the company's fault if something does not do well. Look at Ford; makes cars that are consistently good to drive, has stood its ground and done pretty decently so perhaps we needn't get too touchy and sensitive about comments made on such a launch

Nope, this is not a rant nor am I a FIAT fanboy; just another guy who bought a FIAT Most of it was written in jest. If it's not for the HPS and build I probably wouldn't have bought the Punto. If the S-cross was launched at that time, I would've extended my budget, overlooked the looks and gone for it.
After all I'm a customer with a wide choice and FIAT is just one of them.

Originally Posted by S2!!!

I'm not too sure about that. It seems most out here are welcoming this move, no matter how ridiculous it sounds (at least to me). Also, I don't see why we should drag Maruti into every Fiat thread because of their silly sticker jobs. Look at Maruti's sales record. The company knows the pulse of the Indian market like no one else does. If there is a demand, Maruti has a product. Heck, they even introduced ABS + airbags on some of their entry level cars as an option across all variants and their new gen cars have safety variants across variants. Now Fiat fan boys will argue about their weak structure etc. etc. hence I never wanted to reply to this thread in the first place.

My whole point is that if Fiat had thought this through at the time of the Evo's launch and sold the Punto 2012 side-by-side like the Fiesta + Classic or the Linea + Classic or the Dzire + Tour, it would make sense. But bringing back a 2009 design in 2016 after discontinuing it in 2014 clearly is a flawed strategy. I'll still wait for Fiat to officially confirm this news before debating any further.

Regarding the approach taken by FIAT, if the report is to be believed : It's flawed or ridiculous, but then with stockpiles of old models, maybe they don't have any other option. It'd be better to get rid of them at a cheaper price rather than let them rust.
Like you said, introducing the GP as a classic along with the Evo would've been a wiser choice.
But it being FIAT and looking at the history of their decisions, this shouldn't come as a surprise. Looking at their strategies, It won't be long before these cars will be made-to-order

[GT145]

If they really looking backward then please have that T-jet engine and four wheel disc brakes put on the S10, no need of Abarth branding just the authentic FIAT. Prett much sure they will sell in more numbers than the pure version of Punto.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by rav11stars

"wow" "oh crap" "really?" "sad" "oh come on" : just some of the expressions I had while going through these three pages.
People just can't have it enough. Someone shouts "snake!!", everyone gather around and beat the life out of it. Someone else says "wait, it's a rat snake" and then someone "yeh, it's still a snake; ought to be killed".

An Alto Flash (!!), Swift RS, music edition, Glory, windsong : People flock to the dealers in hordes with some dealerships looking like marriage ceremonies. Ask them why and no one knows. "The swift now comes with racing stripes and black roof; ooh, I'm so excited!!."...

And then, there is always a silly post on those threads! How many special edition versions of those Maruti products have you seen on the road? I have seen just 1 or 2 of each of those while I see tons of regular ones, which is a clear indication that the LE versions are not popular. Can you also point us to a post or two in those threads which hail such limited editions? I usually see people cribbing about those!

What Fiat doing now is STUPID - Period!! I can't recollect a manufacturer launching a product which they stopped. What were they doing while launching the Evo? Should they have not taken the feedback from the customers or the ones who takes TD to understand what's good and what's not bad?! Wait - I also read a lot of experiences where potential customers are turned down for a TD or a decent buying experience. And then customers are "blamed" of not buying a Fiat car.

If they really want to make a difference, they should have used feedback to bring in new generation models of the Punto / Linea. They keep flogging the dead horses but some perceive that as a "great move" to show the commitment to the market. It's so hilarious!

Do you even know that the clutch & gear shifts are F-A-R better on the Palio? With the new generation, all they could manage was a crappier gear shift + longer clutch. And you term it's a hobby for Fiat to make cars.

Let's keep the points fair, shall we?! Fiat makes cars with SUPERB ride & handling. They still stick on to the HPS to make the drive better. They don't put their cars on diet to claim great FE. Their warranty claims are so fuss free. They have BRILLIANT engines in their stable.

They have the capability but that's NOT used to the extent people like their cars. That's a failure about the brand. So, please stop blaming anyone and everyone for Fiat's incompetence to make a proper product.

Disclaimer : A Palio GTX owner, who wouldn't touch their (Fiat's) current gen products even with a barge pole!

[akshay_b]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

Does not make sense according to me, you already have a Punto Evo and it is not worth buying one again. You can now upgrade to a good c segment sedan like Rapid/Vento diesel automatic. Has much more space, much more power from the engine, convenience of an automatic, snob value, better built etc.

Punto Pure is a very old product and i think it is fit for taxi market or if you are extremely tight on budget, get some thing new.

Originally Posted by raghu.bramha

Dear akshay_b, I can understand your confusion. I saw the news and was instantly happy but as I read through, the idea here is Fiat is selling off old stock and the upgrades in terms of interior is still subject to their final decision. Without the interior upgrades there is no real value-add to the buyer. So I would NOT suggest you to buy this version of the car unless you hate the way Punto Evo looks. Believe me I own the 2012 model and still love the car and if I have to be honest I will buy this very same car again if need be. But there are better options now. I will not suggest anyone to go the punto way and end up disappointed. This car is now strictly for the enthusiasts who like the pre-facelift design and are OK with all the niggles and short comings ( May be the taxi fleet in coming days ).
I suggest you look at other options like VW Polo or The New Figo.

Punto is one car which seriously confuses people. I mean, it has every thing in extremes. On one hand it gives you a timeless design ( Designed by ITALDesign), great MJD engine (a.k.a National Engine) and a chassis made in heaven ( For which it has a huge fan following) but it will also ruin it with its outdated interiors, rubbery gear shifts and huge service bills.

I have seen quite a few brand new Punto Evos being driven as cabs in Bengaluru. I wonder what is the idea of getting a not so affordable car to use as cab. Is there some discounts offered by dealers which I don't know about!!!!

You guys are right, if not for the design and handling, it doesn't make much sense in buying a 2009 GP in 2016 when there are so many modern cars with all the bells and whistles. I have decided to wait and buy a C segment european sedan. Thanks coolboy and raghu

[vinit.merchant]

Was enquiring on Punto evo and was told Punto pure to launch on 5th Feb.
In petrol and diesel, but only in a single trim. 4.5 ex showroom for petrol and approx 5.5 for diesel.

When asked on features, was told can't disclose before 5th.