[Abhiraj]

Originally Posted by gpkmahe

5. Can any of the UNO or OLD PALIO user get their cars serviced from TATA FIAT. ?

I own a Fiat UNO D (10 years, 140000+ kms) and Tata-Fiat services it (2-3 years). The service for the most part have been good though there were a couple of occassions when I felt otherwise sometime back (Maybe bacause the mechanical staffs were just starting with Fiat cars). So far the car has never spent more than 3-4 consecutive days in their service centre (that too.. servicing + waiting for spares). On one occassion I had to take the car to MyTVS for a spare part since it was urgent for me before a long weekend drive, but then again Tata-Fiat had promised me the delivery next day and I am pretty sure they would have tried their best for it if I had given them the chance.

Could you please elaborate on your bad experince with your car and/or service?

Originally Posted by gpkmahe

I welcome firends to visit the thread "The Fiat Grande Punto - will history repeat itself yet again? " on the Team BHP started by someone

I dont think history will repeat. It was more beneficial for them to pack up and go rather than coming back with more products (More products means more investment) and that too when the competition is tough. Right now they are fighting aggressively - e.g:- launching linea before punto, waiting for launch of Jazz before launching Punto (Though Hyundai killed Fiats' party the same way), subsidized spare parts price, feedback survays (paper and phone) after service, etc.

However I think they can gain more customer confidence if they open their own showrooms. As you said currently if they want to pack up and leave they can very well do it - They can sell their diesel engines and Pune plant to Tata for recovering some of their losses.

In simple words I feel - They don't seem sure about their well deserved success, but are really trying hard very aggressively. As a satisfied decade old customer I am wishing them good luck.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by gpkmahe

Its seems most of our friends here speaks the business way! and I belive most have missed the points in me debating.

No matter it car is Uno, Opel, Matiz..

FIAT Uno is still in production in Brazile and SA and is selling as Hot cake there..

1. If CEO is that much enthusiastic he could have brought the Spare parts from there.. or he should ask "FIAT to make spares again, People of Inida would not let me live peacfully" Should we?

Buddy, this would not be possible to do so. Other car makers, even Honda cannot keep producing the spares for their vehicles once it is out of production. I believe reading somewhere that Honda will only support the G1HC with spares for only 10 years. With the Uno being older, and with Fiat being in such poor shape, stuff happens. Atleast they didn't run away like Peugeot and still continue servicing the vehicles.

2. Here is a Question for my friends who speeks the business way, Imagine that ur "SKODA" or what ever u have , the company suddenly says we are stopping the production of this car and cooly moves to their parent country. (NO spare parts not support , and U all carrying those "jwells" here and there in search of spare parts and finally you scrape it!!!)

Then after a short gaps the same company returns with a old wine in fresh bottle and puts lots of "promises" advts: reviews, Interviews etc.. with out SPEAKING a WORD about the PAST happenings!!

WILL all the Friends HERE greet the Company (CEO) with garlands!

But has it happened? Has Fiat run away or has it still been here, trying to understand the market and improve sales?

2. Matiz and Opels issuse is something different they lost the company itselfs.

Opel never lost their company. Daewoo did. GM filed for bankruptcy, but has not stopped their operations.
BTW, even Fiat was on the verge of Bankruptcy untill recently, so technically, the issue is not all that much different from Opel and Peugeot.

3. Nice to here that FIat is Stopping Palio also...

4. Withdrawing a product from market is normal not a big issue ! BUT the company should be responsible for after sales support and for the supply of spares.

True, but then again, Fiat was facing difficult times in those periods, but they are still trying to source for parts. Parts for the Palio are still available.
5. Can any of the UNO or OLD PALIO user get their cars serviced from TATA FIAT. ?

Yes, they can.

6. WHY did such a big reputed company joined with TATA ?

Tata is a reputed company as well. In this segment, Tata was the only one with products that were not direct competitors, unlike Hyundai and Maruti. Also, after Maruti, they have the second largest sales and service support in India.

I welcome firends to visit the thread "The Fiat Grande Punto - will history repeat itself yet again? " on the Team BHP started by someone.

I have read that thread, but still haven't understood the purpose of that thread. It is of no doubt that Fiat is trying hard to win back customers, and the tie-up with Tata, improved A.S.S, an Indian CEO, new products, etc. are all the different ways in which they are improving. The Fiat we see today is the new and improved fiat, and IMHO, the only way Fiat can mess up this time is due to consumers who are unwilling to give them a chance.

"INDIA IS A COUNTRY REPEATEDLY INVADED & LOOTED BY MANY FORIEGN RULERS! "

Foreign Rulers? I believe you mean auto manufacturers. If it weren't for foreign auto manufacturers, we would not be driving anything except for Tata products. These foreign manufacturers have led to increased competition from which we are the only people who gain. It is because of them that we can now get good quality products, with lots of features, the latest technology, and what not, for prices that have never been heard of before.

Firstly,
great interview. There might have been some questions left out, but it was a great interview nonetheless.
I also doubted the 1.6 MJD as I have not seen it anywhere online. Maruti wants to make it for the SX4, but they will be working on the 1.6 on their own and not with the help of Fiat. Please correct me if I am wrong.
But if not a 1.6, then could we atleast have the option of the 1.3 VGT MJD in the Linea?

Secondly, GPKMahe, Please see my views in bold.

[amit]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

But if not a 1.6, then could we atleast have the option of the 1.3 VGT MJD in the Linea?

Linea already has that engine.

[StarVegabond]

I understand that generally automotive industry follows the product life cycle as below.

1. Product conceptualization 1 year
2. Product Development, Testing, industrialization etc : 3 years
3. On road life of the vehicle : 7 years
4. Generally a product is kept in the market for 2-3 years before replacing it with a varient or successor model.
5. as per international norms : if a car/model is sold in certain nos/above, the spare parts need to be made available up to 7 years period minimum from the date of stopping the production/sale of the vehicle from the market
6. Any period above this 7 years is purely voluntary from the company perspective.

I know this because, my old employer used to be a leader supplying the semiconductor devices to top 10 automotive players in the world and we used to have forecast for the parts (in a project) upto 18-20 years from the day the part was first chosen.

ofcourse company can not keep producing the parts for ever.

hence a buyer has to excersize his/her due deligence and then make purchase decision.

The automaker generally puts the warrantee, repair, service, spares policy clearly in the user manual (and sale contract). Most of the time people do not check this out.