[Rahulkool]

I think FIAT needs to break all ties with TATA not everything but all the things involving interaction with customer. FIAT should not just giving the label to TATA to put on their cars and sell them. They should Interact with the customers. With all the negativity around about FIAT service, if FIAT wants a turn around in India they need a good word of mouth from consumers, just doing ads won't be enough. Looking at the sales nos of FIAT cars recently I think Palio wasn't a bad car or not suited to India. It's all after sales. They have to be better than good. They have to set standards in after sales then only they will be accepted by the mass market, as I feel FORD and GM is doing. They have to start from scratch.

[arjab]

Originally Posted by motor spirit

Fiat showrooms will open by Q3 next year
Alka Kshirsagar
The Hindu Business Line (Web & Print Edition)

Pune: The first of separate showrooms for the Fiat brand of cars at existing dealerships under the Tata-Fiat JV will become operational by the third quarter of next year, Mr Rajeev Kapoor, President and CEO, Fiat India Pvt Limited, has said.
“We are speaking to all our dealers to set up separate showrooms for Fiat within the existing dealerships. This will be done on a pilot basis first, and these should be able to become operational by the third quarter of 2012,” Mr Kapoor said.

Sincerely wish Fiat & Co. the best of luck. Have serious doubts whether existing dealers will agree to Fiat's demands or not. These were the very dealers who spent a bomb in upgrading their dealership infrastructure, three years ago, when the T-F retailing JV hit the ground. Till now they haven't reaped the benefits of the cost incurred. It's highly unlikely that existing dealers will agree to a 2nd round of T-F dealer upgrades , voluntarily!

As has been discussed a million times in this thread and elsewhere on T-Bhp, why doesn't Fiat change the perception of the quality & availability of their service and spare parts in India ? Why can't FIAT do some smart brand management w.r.t. their service & parts reputation? Open small independent FIAT workshops & parts centres for heaven's sake, across the length an breadth of the country. Make service and parts reachable to the common Fiat owner within his arm's reach.
Follow up with an innovative & aggressive ad campaign that the service quality has been corrected and Fiat assures all its fans and followers that spares and parts problems are a nightmare of the past. Of course, Mr Kapoor & Co has to live up to these promises.
Then see whether sales improve or not.
Have said this before and i say it again - The FIAT brand is perhaps one of the most valuable and easily recalled amongst the Indian public.
The common motorist knows the heritage and goodness of FIAT and also the "weakness & horrors" of the brand. Correct the 2nd part - sales will automatically follow.

[julupani]

If FIAT is ready to invest from their side and help the dealers out in opening separate showrooms. Similarly the company must take on the burden of risk of opening FIAT only dealerships, burden of the service center having to keep high stock of parts without heavy advance payment etc.

I dont think you can expect the dealers to take heavy risk.

But if they want to FIAT can make them do it, by offering what the dealers need.

[tortoiseNhare]

How many (recent) Fiat owners do actually recommend Fiat? I never do although I honestly feel my car to be better than competition in many aspects. The reason is A** of course. Separating sales windows will not work. Neither can Fiat hope to dramatically improve the A** overnight. What is the way forward then? Allow the Fiat customers move to independent mechanics - there are experts in every locality - and make parts available by appointing authorised Fiat parts dealers in a big way. I understand that Fiat parts are indeed available these days, only the Tata-Fiat service centres goof up in placing orders.

[julupani]

I doubt that the Punto and Linea are really cars that can be handled by non-authorised mechanics, at least not without proper training. There may be a few in the big cities, but definitely not in the really large number of 2nd tier towns.

I lived in Guwahati for a couple of years myself, but dont know of any seriously competent mechanics who can handle these modern cars.

As for recommending FIAT, I do to anybody who asks me, with the rider to find out a good service center in your town. My family has had a lovely time with FIAT, and after our Punto, my family and close friends have bought 3 other Puntos and 1 Linea, and all of them are really happy with their cars. Nobody has faced any serious trouble with their cars at all.

[.sushilkumar]

I hope this is right thread to post this .

Not sure about the credibility of the website and really don;t know if i should laugh or cry or worry about service & spares of my punto but inevitable has happened. FIAT will gradually stop selling through TATA showrooms.

Source: -

Fiat India Executive: To Separate Distribution Network With Tata Motors | 6th September 2011 | Real Time Market News

NEW DELHI -(Dow Jones)- Fiat SpA (FIATY) will gradually stop selling its cars in India through the distribution network of Tata Motors Ltd. (TTM), a senior executive at the local joint venture of the Italian auto maker said Tuesday.
"Tata and Fiat cars won't be sold in the same showroom anymore. We have already started the process and we will cover 20 cities in the next one-and-a-half years," Rajeev Kapoor, chief executive officer and president at Fiat India Automobiles Ltd., told reporters.
Fiat India is an equal joint venture between Fiat and Tata Motors. The joint venture makes cars and engines at a factory at Talegaon, in the western state of Maharashtra.
Tata Motors also distributes Fiat cars in this market.
-By Anirban Chowdhury, Dow Jones Newswires; +91-11-4356-3305; santanu.choudhury@dowjones.com

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by .sushilkumar

I hope this is right thread to post this .

Not sure about the credibility of the website and really don;t know if i should laugh or cry or worry about service & spares of my punto but inevitable has happened. FIAT will gradually stop selling through TATA showrooms.

Source: -

Fiat India Executive: To Separate Distribution Network With Tata Motors | 6th September 2011 | Real Time Market News

I feel its good news. Atleast after breaking away from Tata , hope Fiat will be able to revise its market strategy and operate more efficiently.

[julupani]

Originally Posted by .sushilkumar

I hope this is right thread to post this .

Not sure about the credibility of the website and really don;t know if i should laugh or cry or worry about service & spares of my punto but inevitable has happened. FIAT will gradually stop selling through TATA showrooms.

At least one thing makes your suspicion stronger. A factual mistake.

FIPL factory is in Ranjangaon, Maharashtra and not Talegaon. Talegaon is home to others like GM, VW and Audi.

[ms001]

Originally Posted by .sushilkumar

I hope this is right thread to post this .

Not sure about the credibility of the website and really don;t know if i should laugh or cry or worry about service & spares of my punto but inevitable has happened. FIAT will gradually stop selling through TATA showrooms.

Source: -

Fiat India Executive: To Separate Distribution Network With Tata Motors | 6th September 2011 | Real Time Market News

the news is all over the net so must be true
Fiat, Tata cars not to be sold under same roof - NDTV Profit

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by .sushilkumar

I hope this is right thread to post this .

Not sure about the credibility of the website and really don;t know if i should laugh or cry or worry about service & spares of my punto but inevitable has happened. FIAT will gradually stop selling through TATA showrooms.

Source: -

Fiat India Executive: To Separate Distribution Network With Tata Motors | 6th September 2011 | Real Time Market News

Even more confusion for FIAT owners now.

"Where do they take their for service- to Fiat dealer....no err Tata dealer....no err Fiat dealer.....no err finally NO dealer"

I just hope the above statement never comes true. FIATs are wonderful cars but sadly enough the company has just forgotten about its customers after selling the cars. It's high time they do a thorough ground research and come out a foolproof strategy benefiting both seller as well as consumers

[sahakar]

Finally something happening at Fiat. Lets hope this time there are some positive results too.

They need current model refreshes and new launches happening soon. They also need to do something on the A.S.S. side. Tatas are really messing up the A.S.S. currently.

I have actually stopped using Tata's A.S.S. and have found a reliable ex-employee from Fiat who does an amazing job on my S10.

I have also heard horror stories from a friend's Punto. Apparently, his back doors have stopped opening from the inside and the Tata's give him an appointment after 12 days. On the appointment date, they say the part is not available and needs to be ordered. Its a year old car and I can just imagine my friend's frustration.

Fiat you have all our support but please get up your A.S.S. and start delivering for god's sake.

Cheers

[NSK123]

I don't think everything is going wrong for Fiat-Tata alliance. As a Fiat customer for last 2 years (Punto), I am happy.

My experience so far, I can rate them better than Maruti (I had M800 before this)

Fiat needs to have at least one exclusive showroom in major cities to promote their brand. To start with in metros at least.

[PuntoMania]

Here's the catch :

Fiat India President and CEO Rajeev Kapoor said the same dealers that were engaged by the Tata-Fiat joint venture will now open separate showrooms for Tata and Fiat-brand cars.

Read

I think they should disassociate completely from the current sales and service network made by Tata motors, and get off to a fresh start. However, that probably is easier said than done I think. Would be interesting to see what impact the experience centers will have on their sales, especially in the local markets of Pune and Delhi. IMO, nothing will boost Fiat sales like a good, reliable after sales network. Do it one city at a time damn it (starting with Pune ofcourse ), but dont shirk responsibility to the real core issue : Lack of a comprehensive network.

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by PuntoMania

I think they should disassociate completely from the current sales and service network made by Tata motors, and get off to a fresh start.

I totally agree with this part. As an existing customer of Pandit Auto in Pune, I did not trust them enough to own a Fiat and then rely on their ***. If I dont like/ trust/ respect that dealer what difference will it make if it is Pandit Fiat Auto. I am still not going to buy from them.

They should start afresh or appoint hardworking and relevant people who are interested in the work. Yes we all do it for money, but short cuts should not be allowed or tolerated.

[deepakhon]

I believe only the sales will be different. The service will still be with Tata I guess.