[amit]

Originally Posted by BUSA

Fiat made plans of getting the MJD not cause they want to but they are forced to and have no option

Every company has done something similar. Remember, Maruti was selling carb engines giving the bad fuel quality excuses when Santro's, Matiz's and Cielo's were doing fine and it took the Supreme Court to make them go MPFI. Thats why I said lets bury it because as someone said companies policies change with time and competition and thats a good thing because if it wasn't so we would still be buying the old Zen AC/TG with black bumpers for Rs. 5.xx lakhs!

why doesn't Fiat change the trend just like MUL is beginning to with the launch of the SX4?

To give credit where it's due, it was actually Fiat that created the B+ segment with the Palio so in that sense they did set the trend and it took Maruti and Hyundai about 3 years to come up with their own B+ segement hatchs. Even the Uno was a bigger car then the Santro's, Matiz's and Zen's. Today we credit Maruti for giving us a proper B+ segment car in the Swift but Fiat, Opel and Tata had big hatchbacks for many years before that. We again credit Maruti with giving us safety features like ABS and Air bags in a 5 lac rupee hatch but it was again Fiat that offered these features first with the Palio in 2002. Remember, even the 9 lac rupee Astra's and City's didn't have ABS or Air bags then. I guess where Fiat went wrong was in bringing in a big hatch and safety features much before the market had matured and buyers were educated. I guess they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. They failed because of their inability to communicate and connect with the buyers and because they were ahead of the time then apart from the other well known issues and their inability to respond fast to customer feedbacks.

I said this earlier too, back in 2002, Palio sales were touching 3,000 units per month, if the car was a Maruti or Hyundai product, it would easily be doing about 6,000 units every month in 2007.

Sorry for going off toipc. I know this post has nothing about the Stile 1.1 but I believe that Fiat murdered the Palio. Just like they killed the Uno and will murder the Grande Punto and Linea.

[rks]

If the 1.2 lit engine is also exempt from excise duty (as mentioned by rahul_intlad) I have no idea why Fiat came up with this car. I think the poll question should read "Palio Stile 1.1" because there is also a 1.6 version.

[zenx]

Originally Posted by amit

To give credit where it's due, it was actually Fiat that created the B+ segment with the Palio

True. There was no 'hot hatch' concept around till the 1.6 dared to (the Zen was fun and all that, but didnt quite have the 'hot hatch' aura around it). That said, Fiat is very lost right now and really need some strong in the head people, with their ears on the ground, to pull it back (when did u last read a sentence with that many cliches?)

No manufacturer is great or sucky, a car might be. Again, suckiness is also in the eye of the beholder (there I go again). Of course, a car will die if its strengths are not what matter to most (to those to whom these appeal, they're perfectly legit reasons for the decision and lets not question that), and its weaknesses do. Every package has +s and -s, and Fiat seems to be getting the package majorly wrong, going by how many people are interested.

Also, they're losing time and opportunity - people have been singing paeans to their diesels, esp the 1.3multijet, and they're just playing hard to get. Someone in there needs to wake up, and connect product strategy with consumer expectations. They've got aces up their sleeves, but refuse to play the cards well (oh well, pardon me and my inability to un-cliche myself today).

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by amit

To give credit where it's due, it was actually Fiat that created the B+ segment with the Palio so in that sense they did set the trend and it took Maruti and Hyundai about 3 years to come up with their own B+ segement hatchs.

1. Fist B+ segment hatch was the Indica.
2. Nobody is questioning the Palio 1.2 virtues.

All everybody is questioning is the logic of ruining a 1.2 liter engined car which had adequate performance and was a great car. thats why it used to sell 3000 units a month. I did not buy one because diesel was out of my budget and cost of petrol was prohibitive for me.

Palio Stile 1.1 is not a Palio 1.2.
If Maruti did a swift 1.1 with 60 horses or so, you will see similar howls of rage.

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by wizardofid

Actually the Palio Stile is still sold in other parts of the world, including countries with a better motoring culture and history, like the UK. I guess it comes with a 1.6lit and a lot more horses in those markets, but it is still the same car, model, brand, etc.

Huh??? Where the hell have you seen a Palio being sold in the UK? It has never, ever been sold there. Somebody correctly mentioned earlier that the 178 platform cars (Palio/Petra etc) were meant for sale only in the Third-World countries & were developed as such from scratch. There was never any plan to sell them in the developed markets & it never was sold.

If you want to verify this for yourself, please check out the Fiat, UK site here:

FIAT

[amit]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

1. Fist B+ segment hatch was the Indica.

I am aware of that and I was expecting someone to respond with this . What I meant was that the Palio was the first B+ hatch that was capable on taking on the Maruti's and Hyundai's in terms of fit and finish, driveablity, refinement etc. The first Indica's were crude and had too many problems and if it wasn't for the diesel and Tata's pro activeness, it probably wouldn't have lasted beyond 6 months in the market then.

Nobody is questioning the Palio 1.2 virtues.

All everybody is questioning is the logic of ruining a 1.2 liter engined car which had adequate performance and was a great car. thats why it used to sell 3000 units a month.

Palio Stile 1.1 is not a Palio 1.2.
If Maruti did a swift 1.1 with 60 horses or so, you will see similar howls of rage.

I know that and thats why I said in my post that I was off topic. My comments were neither about the Palio 1.2 nor about the Palio 1.1. It was about Fiat as a company and how they blundered with the Uno and then the Palio and mark my words they WILL blunder with the GP and Linea too. Like I said, if the Palio was a Maruti or Hyundai, they would have taken the sales from 3K units per month in 2002 to 6K per month in 2007 by constant upgrades to the product and better customer care. Compare that to Fiat that took the sales from 3K per month to 3K per year!

There was absolutely no reason to go for the 1.1 litre engine option when 1.2 litre engines also benefit fro the excise duty benefits

The 1.2 was a 1242cc engine and didn't qulify for excise cuts which requires petrol engines to be LESS then 1200cc.

[sushanthr77]

Originally Posted by iraghava

Huh??? Somebody correctly mentioned earlier that the 178 platform cars (Palio/Petra etc) were meant for sale only in the Third-World countries & were developed as such from scratch. There was never any plan to sell them in the developed markets & it never was sold.
FIAT

Thats not true. I've personally seen several Palio Siena Weekend(s) in Switzerland!

Not sure why this "3rd world country car" is talked about? A car developed for developing nations isn't inferior to their developed counterparts. These are smaller and have less accessories.

Suzuki Alto is also sold in Switzerland. Now that doesn't make it any "developed nation's car".

Ford Ikon/Fiesta are also developed for "3rd world countries"!!!

[spadival]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

1. Fist B+ segment hatch was the Indica.
.

Slight correction. First B+ egg that hatched prematurely and had to be put in the ICU immediately afterwards was the Indica V0.001.

[deepakhon]

Fiat India surely has not sold 218 Palio Stiles till now. This thread has created 218 posts in two days

[Zappo]

Deepak... haaa haaaaaa... mann.... something in your post is giving me jabs in my stomach... because of a fit of laughter. Just imagine 218 posts. And actually it is not 2 days... I think it all started off barely 24 hours back! Thats actually 1 day.

[himanshugoswami]

BUSA
i won a Palio 1.6 GTX myself,

Well, at least you didnt spend your hard earned money getting your Palio

[deepakhon]

Originally Posted by Zappo

Deepak... haaa haaaaaa... mann.... something in your post is giving me jabs in my stomach... because of a fit of laughter.

You know what, I really enjoy reading Fiat threads of team-bhp. They are the best dose of laughter you can get in your hard working day. This thread is the best I believe, especially when ICEmen started freezing it. Guys, keep the fun going. This day has been hard on me. I have to catch a deadline, but it does not stop me from having some fun....

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by sushanthr77

Thats not true. I've personally seen several Palio Siena Weekend(s) in Switzerland!

Well I'd doubt that statement because the 178 platform isnt sold in Europe. It has no Euro safety rating recorded, and therefore I dont think it can be sold there.

Originally Posted by wizardofid

Actually the Palio Stile is still sold in other parts of the world, including countries with a better motoring culture and history, like the UK.

Repeating something several times over does not make it the truth.


NOW WILL ALL OF YOU FIND SOMETHING BETTER TO DO??????:

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by sushanthr77

Thats not true. I've personally seen several Palio Siena Weekend(s) in Switzerland!

Are you sure you're confusing the Palio with the Bravo/Brava & Stilo range of cars form Fiat?

Originally Posted by sushanthr77

Not sure why this "3rd world country car" is talked about? A car developed for developing nations isn't inferior to their developed counterparts. These are smaller and have less accessories.

It's been talked about because that is how Fiat chose to themselves publicise & market eh product in the first place. I remember around '97 or thereabouts at the lauch of the Bravo/Brava range of cars Fiat Europe had clearly mentioned that they would be entering India in a big way with the 178 platform cars which were being specifically developed for developing markets like India, Brazil, China etc. And that the products would be engineered to suit the driving condition in these countries (Bad Fuel, Bad Roads etc.)

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by Whenasked

There is a saying in Kerala..about a magazine called VANITHA intended for Women. But its read most by Men although they wont openly admit it. I think in that way, even if you put a FILTER on FIAT, you will still come & open it..read it..right?

Yeah but its more like the 3rd Page of newspapers or the comic section for me.