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-   -   Fiat 500 in April 08 !!! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/35710-fiat-500-april-08-a-6.html)

1. Its not for value concious.
2. No one's forcing us to buy one.

Why we are creating fuss out of it??? FIAT is not intending to sell it in bulk... Then why everybody is so much concerned about its success and failure?? FIAT is using it as brand building car along with Bravo and they are not bothered about monthly sales of these two...

About life style... It seems to be a marketing word given by TATA mgnt... Why shout at it so much.. Even Ford Fusion was launched as if "Life style" vehicle and the car soon itself lost its life in sales chart..

Accept the fact that it is the import duty that is playing part in the high price rather than FIAT.. Be coooooooollllllllll....... At least FIAT India CEO would get a 500..... lol:

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...ow/2799570.cms

According to this article, there are certain people who are interested in collecting cars and they are pretty thrilled by the news that 500, Mini and new Beetle are getting launched.

The point is, all these cars will have a set of clientèle, however small they are.

True indeed, and as an extravagant shopoholic, I'm the last person who should be lecturing anyone else on spending their own money!

But, after all those years of rip-off car prices in UK (like British-made cars being cheaper to import from mainland Europe!) it hurts to see this sort of pricing.

I know, of course, that Indian government taxation has a lot to do with it --- and I actually support the idea of governments looking after their own industry and employment by taxing imports.

So I can't win the argument: even with myself ;)

VW is a well respected manufacturer and sought after in India, Fiat is not.

@ Shuvdm 13L is for the normal version, not the abarth.

The point here is not that Fiat or VW is a well respected manufacturer, but the pricing of 500 & Beetle!

If itz a Lifestyle car & bought here as a CBU, it ought to be expensive!
And there are some, who can afford it.

Beetle is a lifestyle car --- it's a cramped golf for people who want to drive an odd-shaped car just for looks. From a manufacturer that trades on its past reputation to charge over the odds for all its cars.

The Fiat is just a small car. Not any more special or lifestyle than a Nissan Micra (lifestyle? great small car) or a.... can't think of any more, though there must be many... yes... Toyota thingy... Ford Ka... to name but two.

A nice design doesn't mean lifestyle.

Errr.... come to think of it, what on earth is this lifestyle thing all about? What does it mean?

I see a contradiction here!

I posted this on the Mini thread:

Indien Dumbkopfen swindlen by Smarten Deutschen und plenty moneyen gonen to mein Deutschland!!

It will be this here on Fiat 500:

le dumb teste indiano hanno swindlo da italiano smarto ed il lotto di lire va in Italia

lol:

Well quite! I caught myself out using this piece of marketing speak!

@BUSA: What is the base for this information?

The vehicle costs only 5.5 Lacs Ex-Showroom infact its cheaper than a Swift with 'N' Times better quality, safety & performance. But not in India. If you have to drive a car which is sold in the foreign country in India (famously knows as Import) you have to pay tax to the Indian Government. And paying that tax would cost you more than double the price the vehicle. It is like your registration charges.

If you are still concerned about the price being 13 Lacs then you need to post a thread in the Shifting Gears column with a title "Higher car import duties charged by Indian Government".

All of us would be there to support you in the thread clap:

And, unless one is seriously rich, with spending money in crores, and demanding a really high-status vehicle like BMW or Mercedes, surely it just does not make sense to buy this kind of import at this kind of price!

It is for the rich community who are truly passionate about cars. If you are thinking that the rich people are interested only in buying high-status vehicles like the BMW/Merc then you got to be wrong my friend! I have spotted Beetles & Golfs driven around in indian roads. IMO these are not high-status rich man's vehicles. It is bought by a rich man who is passionate about these cars for a reason!

The Fiat 500 is a legend in the of small cars segment & it has its own dedicated pages to prove in the International Automobile industry. Most of our members who have ridiculed the Fiat 500 and a move by Fiat to improve its brand value in this thread have no idea about the history of the Fiat 500.

Watch the Ferrari 612s ripping the marine drive roads in Mumbai on 25th. Ferrari is a part of the Fiat Group so I dont think i would be surprised to see similar post by Fiat haters when Ferrari F430 Spider is launched here :Frustrati.

She will look good driving anything around.

But she wont be driving this in India. The fiery hyderabadi is moving home to Dubai - apparently she doesnt like India very much.

Jokes apart, this is very much a chick car. I cant really see guys driving this around unless they want to look silly. But with today's generation that craves for Marleys, Lappies, Ciggies and stuff like that, who knows?

Perhaps the fact that even VW's el-cheapo, down-market, third world brand (Skoda) is able to sell larger numbers of overpriced notchbacks here and command a brand premium than Fiat was able to sell its reasonably priced hatchbacks?