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-   -   Fiat’s Made-for-India 700-1000 cc Small Car launch in 2011 (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/69646-fiat-s-made-india-700-1000-cc-small-car-launch-2011-a.html)

Source: Times Of India.
Fiat’s getting ready for launch in 2011

Kolkata: The prototypes of the first-ever made-for-India car from Italian auto giant Fiat SpA will arrive in India in a year’s time for extensive road trials. The results and feedback from the trials will lead to the final round of tweaking before Fiat India Automobiles begins manufacturing the small car at its Ranjangaon facility.
Fiat India president and CEO Rajeev Kapoor said the small car to be positioned between the A and B segments was already off the drawing board. “The small car — conceived for the Indian market — has been designed at Fiat’s legendary design studio in Turin. There are several steps between the drawing board to actual production-grade vehicles. The car will definitely be launched in 2011,” he said.
Sources said a clay model had already been prepared and prototypes were on the way. The engine, with a 700-1,000cc capacity, has also been designed and is currently being tested in India to make suitable changes to adapt to the country’s driving conditions. “We are adapting the engine to Indian specifications to ensure that it delivers optimum power and mileage,” said Roberto Dalmasso, manager at the engineering centre of Fiat Powertrain Technologies, a Fiat group company that develops powertrains for cars, trucks, boats and gensets.
Explaining the car’s positioning, Kapoor said it would be higher than A segment Maruti 800 and lower than B segment Maruti Wagon-R and Hyundai Santro.
“As per our agreement with manufacturing and marketing partner Tata Motors, Fiat India will introduce non-competing products in a more premium segment. The Linea is positioned above the Manza; the Grande Punto above Indica Vista. The new mass market small car will be similarly placed,” he said, referring to the car’s positioning vis-a-vis Nano. Sources said the car would be somewhere close to Maruti Alto or the proposed Renault-Bajaj small car that will is also slated to go into production in 2011.

The plethora of small cars hitting the Indian market augers well for us.

The roads inside the city are not going to keep pace with two / four wheeler growth. Most city drives are for mainly transporting 1 / 2 persons from point A to point B and back and one does not need a sedan for that. A small high FE car will do.

Folks would keep their small cars for city commute and sedans / MPVs / SUV for longer distances

This is definetely good news. And the statement:

This makes me feel a lot better :)

OT, but:
In a couple of years, India's urban and semi-urban infrastructure would be literally bursting at the seams.

This is definitely a very good news for all the future FIRST buyers like us !!!
Any info about car specifications along with a price range ??

As mentioned in the article, the engine would be around 700cc - 1000cc. Might cost around 3.5lacs on road.

I read about it this morning too.

The price was not mentioned anyplace though.

There is already a thread which is spekaing of Hyundai's small 800cc car. just have a look at this http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...0-hyundai.html
"Beejay" I know this is for Fiat. I just wanted to tell that even Hyundai is planning the same. So no offence

This thread is for Fiats small car.:)

2011 FIAT plans to introduce small car. is it not too late?

They should have done that long back after introducing Uno. :Frustrati
At-least then competition was less and FIAT was a reputed ancestral brand.


Even now with Linea / Punto being value for money cars, people just talk about Marutis, Hyundais when i try to sell them idea of buying Punto / Linea :Frustrati no where it has worked out. People have gone for Swift , i10 , Ritz instead. I just got reply saying" we dont want to take risk. I heard FIAT service is bad".

I know a buyers who drove Punto, liked it but brought i20 because of reputed Hyundai brand.

Anyways for FIAT the current challenge is to provide good service for Lineas / Puntos that are selling now. If they succeed in doing so and get peoples confidence they stand a chance. Else people will say " FIAT car, no no.. service is bad" even for new small car!

Lets wait and watch how it goes

The same news item also mentioned Fiat offering Punto in the CNG variant by mid 2010. Competition is getting hot now! Here is the link for the complete coverage. The Hindu : Business : Fiat planning CNG option for Punto

Just heard an interview of Rajiv Kapoor on Zee Business.

FIAT India is working on a 2-4 lakh rupee car, whcih should be out in 2011. This car would have a 95% localization content from Job 1.

Wonder what happened to the "not competing with Tata" statements earlier.

Anyway I think this is a positive news. What do you say?

Are they likely to be successful with a product in this segment? Is this the right strategy for them?
Are they distancing themselves from Tata with this step?
Can we get a small capacity MultiAir for this price (YUM!!).