[varunanb]

Originally Posted by GTO

The brand's following is such that, at one time, there were 3 other forums running for Fiat India. Despite having such small sales numbers. As far as I know, there is no other brand that has popular brand-specific forums in India, not even Maruti or Hyundai or Honda.

Exit is sad but expected. You are absolutely right. I haven't seen any other manufacturer enjoying such following. Be it the current generation or the older padmini's. There were even few movies made with premier Padmini as an integral part.

I also have an ex colleague and a good friend who currently owns a Padmini, S10, Punto and an Abarth Punto.

[NiInJa]

I would say the thread should have been titled : FCA finally 'killing' the Fiat brand in India. Its like how a bright kid ruins his future because of the troubled relations between his parents.

We have a nine year old Linea in our family and it feels and drives like we bought her last month ! There were some niggles but beyond that, the Linea is definitely a 'keeper'. All owners who are worried about spares and other things should relax for now. Their online portal 99rpm.com is fairly reliable, I have used it couple of times, only delivery times can be higher and they don't update anything until the courier company -Blue Dart- takes charge of the delivery). I hope they don't kill this website too, then we are in for a serious problem.

Apart from that, FCA has lost credibility in India at-least for me. They will see how the Jeep sells till it starts falling apart, then, they will try another brand like the Dodge, then Alfa Romeo and others and one day they will say nothing worked, so we are going home ! They have launched the Jeep Compass, but it banks on the wafer thin network of Fiat, which I don't see any expansion. The service was too bad in Pune, now its reduced to just one service center in the outskirts. Competition will need just one or two strong models to destroy the Compass again, and they should know they will soon have some.

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by GTO

The brand's following is such that, at one time, there were 3 other forums running for Fiat India. Despite having such small sales numbers. As far as I know, there is no other brand that has popular brand-specific forums in India, not even Maruti or Hyundai or Honda.

Good point - 3 forums, three thousand Fiat Whatsapp groups and one dedicated website for Fiat spare parts (99rpm). This implies that Fiat owners are more invested in their cars than Mitsubishi or Chevrolet owners.

[VellVector]

Originally Posted by redCherry

Now, what would the experts here suggest if some one is still interested in buying a Fiat product (which are being offered with massive discounts). Is it worth buying it, or better to skip?

I would skip it. The re-sale on these cars is already terible and it's going to get worse.

So financially unless you get such a massive discount that it offsets the re-sale loss, it doesn't make sense.

More importantly, service centres already have issues with spares (my T-jet is going to need a clutch change soon and neither ASS in Bangalore has the clutch kit and have no idea when they are going to get it).

There are other avenues to get spares - but you have to see whether you are interested in putting in the effort required to keep the car in top shape.

Originally Posted by sdp1975

What about spares and service for existing owners ? Will FIAT continue to keep some service centres open and provide spares ? FIAT should clear the air on this..

AFAIK, Jeep ASS will also service FIATs.

Originally Posted by NiInJa

Their online portal 99rpm.com is fairly reliable, I have used it couple of times, only delivery times can be higher and they don't update anything until the courier company -Blue Dart- takes charge of the delivery). I hope they don't kill this website too, then we are in for a serious problem.

Is 99rpm a FIAT site? I thought it was a third party website, since they also sell spares for other brands.

[invidious]

I used a Linea for 6-7 years and it was built like a tank. Fiat just had a bad name and it seems the brand was simply not in a position to redeem itself. Tata kept at it and did a stellar job in the last couple years turning things around. Fiat did try all gimmicks - I remember them even opening Fiat Cafes and what not. It's really a shame.

[Nimish anthony]

Had been an an ardent fiat user and used almost all their models and its a sad day to see them leave. Would just say it was poor planning and lack of management foresight from the top brass which killed the brand. They made safe driver focused cars but lacked the portfolio upgrade over the years.

Enclosing a few pictures as remembrance for one of the first modded 90hp punto in the forum.

[Palio_2005]

It will be one of the saddest moments for me. Had a Fiat 1100 D, Palio and a Linea - total years of ownership over 17 years. Other the odd niggle one of the best built, handling and reliable cars I have owned. Once I was hit by a truck in my Palio and all that I felt was a dull thud. The truck had infact ripped my rear quarter door. Had to change from Fiat to a Maruti (went for Scross which has a Fiat heart and design)as couldn't afford to keep the car in garage for want of spares.



A brand which has been totally let down by the management. There were and are enough enthusiasts out there who would want a Fiat car. Alas!!!

[NiInJa]

Originally Posted by VellVector

I would skip it.

Is 99rpm a FIAT site? I thought it was a third party website, since they also sell spares for other brands.

Yup, I would skip it too now, our Linea is getting a terrible resale value despite being in a great condition.

That's correct, its a third party site but they don't have a store-house of their own as such, and also don't have many brands listed (Bajaj and Fiat only, Tata was present till 2017 I guess). Its actually operated from Fiat's Ranjangaon plant. So what you get is directly picked and shipped from the factory address itself, and I guess that is the reason why the wait time is a little high.

[akshaymahajan]

Having used a few 500L taxis in the last few days, I wonder why that wasn't brought to India.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by GTO

As far as I know, there is no other brand that has popular brand-specific forums in India, not even Maruti or Hyundai or Honda.

Very true.

The cult is such that they even had a Coffee Shop in some cities. Off course, the interest in it lasted for the usual time frame it takes for folks to loose interest in the brand itself.

This link shows you a rendered image of the Cafe and the multiple awards they won (Likely to be hogwash). I don't think there is any car manufacturer in India has pulled off a more "Driven by Passion" website theme than Fiat. The focus on the home page isn't just about what they are selling, it also covers the brands history.

http://www.fiat-india.com/social/

[DRIV3R]

Meanwhile, this is what FCA official tells me after I dropped them an email.

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by DRIV3R

Meanwhile, this is what FCA official tells me after I dropped them an email.

Those are the typical PR messages expected as reply.

But what does these latest numbers convey?



Source:Auto Punditz

[DRIV3R]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Those are the typical PR messages expected as reply.

But what does these latest numbers convey?

Attachment 1845665

Source:Auto Punditz

So it is ok for us to assume from numbers and write articles? Numbers have mostly been scarce. What’s new?

Typical PR messages or not, until there is an official statement from FCA India, it is all baseless rumours and clickbaits IMO.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by volkman10

But what does these latest numbers convey?

Originally Posted by DRIV3R

So it is ok for us to assume from numbers and write articles? Numbers have mostly been scarce. What’s new?

Typical PR messages or not, until there is an official statement from FCA India, it is all baseless rumours and clickbaits IMO.

The question is not about current numbers, but about products relevant to BS6 and crash safety norms. FCA cannot go on with the existing range post 2020, even if they feel the numbers suggest otherwise.

Unless a new product is seen testing (which I believe won't happen!) - the rumour of the brand shutting shop is hard to be dismissed, IMHO as a FIAT owner. Jeep is very well here to stay!

[DRIV3R]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

The question is not about current numbers, but about products relevant to BS6 and crash safety norms. FCA cannot go on with the existing range post 2020, even if they feel the numbers suggest otherwise.

Unless a new product is seen testing (which I believe won't happen!) - the rumour of the brand shutting shop is hard to be dismissed, IMHO as a FIAT owner. Jeep is very well here to stay!

Multijet 1.3 is not BS6 compliant,
yes.

T Jet engine can be Euro 6 compliant, yes.

Crash test safety norms - where is this even coming from? Did we miss any GNCAP report where Punto/Linea were tested and scored dismally? IIRC, it has never been tested with GNCAP yet.

And if it is really crash test unworthy, we have umpteen number of cars still in production which either are not crash worthy from what we know/not picked by GNCAP or for upcoming Indian safety regulations for crash testing right? (Other than the 10-12 cars listed by ACI)

If you are meaning Indian crash test norms, are they in place yet and started picking cars for testing already?

Please point me to something on those lines.