[Durango Dude]

Originally Posted by Amartya

Please point us towards the source. It seems possible, but it'd be great to see some attribution. Thanks.

Just go through the post "To buy or not to buy a TJet" by Sandeep Mohan, it's all there. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/sedans...y-t-jet-3.html

[Turbokick]

I wonder what would have been the fate of Fiat cars had the Multijet engine not been shared with Suzuki and Tata.
Linea/Punto or even Palio ?

They might have had a successful run or is it like the brand perception/service issues and small niggles would have limited the success?

[Rahulkool]

Originally Posted by Turbokick

I wonder what would have been the fate of Fiat cars had the Multijet engine not been shared with Suzuki and Tata.
Linea/Punto or even Palio ?

They might have had a successful run or is it like the brand perception/service issues and small niggles would have limited the success?

Its a very unlikely situation but if it was the case, then i am sure Fiat would have made the ever successful 1.3 as a failure. I don't think if Fiat punto would have sold even 50% of segment best, Fiat would have able to service them. If they can properly service while selling such low nos, it would be massive failure if they started selling well, as i can already see Tata service station filled with cars and very undermanned. Numerous times i have given excuse in service station that we don't have enough man power or there are many cars. Fiat cannot sell, period

And they think opening these useless brand stores are solution to their problems, i don't know what they are smoking. There are million people saying this that they have improve the service but they always ignore the after sales and i don't know what will take them to understand that after sales is important part of business.

[Turbokick]

So the problem is more with the brand and its reach than the cars!

Even the exclusive Fiat showrooms during Palio/Siena days never did justice to the manufacturer (I am talking about the whole scenario) and now the JV with Tata didn't improve the situation.

For gaining momentum in Indian market, they need to have guts and invest huge amount of money in building service network independently.

Brand building exercise can be done by bringing cult cars like Bravo or Panda at an affordable prices.

[vikrantj]

The main issue with FIAT is that people write-off their image without having a first hand experience with it. FIAT traditionally has provided features which were always first in the segment but it has been always overlooked mostly by ignorance. Let me cite examples :

First Hatchback with a diesel engine: Fiat Uno
First Hatchback with Rear Foglights: Fiat Uno
ABS , EBD , Airbags : Fiat Palio
32 Bit ECU : Fiat Palio

I am not even talking of features in Linea and Punto which are available in higher segments only.

Opening such independent stores gives FIAT a place to showcase their ability and not depend on Tata to sell their products. This gives FIAT a platform to showcase their product in the center stage and not in one corner of Tata showroom. As a FIAT customer and fan I fully appreciate and support this move and am actually looking forward to it.

[amitg79]

I feel that the new Fiat brand stores will make sense if they have some exciting launches to go with it. Even comprehensive updates to the existing line-up will help. If they're going to showcase the same line-up, i.e. The much cliched 'old wine in new bottle' analogy, then it may not do much for sales.

[Durango Dude]

Originally Posted by vikrantj

Let me cite examples :First Hatchback with a diesel engine: Fiat Uno

Wrong; first hatchback with a diesel engine, in India, is a "lemon" called Sipani D-1.

[architect]

The Fiat Exclusive Showroom in CP, New Delhi is open / will open within a week (from Fiat officials I met today). Apparently, more of them are in the pipeline.

Close to this is another development that Fiat is likely to open its exclusive Fiat service outlet in Okhla in Delhi in a month or so. It is being opened by Oberoi Motors. It seems the service team is being head-hunted for.

[Karthik1100]

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

Wrong; first hatchback with a diesel engine, in India, is a "lemon" called Sipani D-1.

i think, sipani was imported right? it was not made in india or made for india

[MAS]

Originally Posted by architect

The Fiat Exclusive Showroom in CP, New Delhi is open / will open within a week (from Fiat officials I met today). Apparently, more of them are in the pipeline.

Close to this is another development that Fiat is likely to open its exclusive Fiat service outlet in Okhla in Delhi in a month or so. It is being opened by Oberoi Motors. It seems the service team is being head-hunted for.

The opening of Fiat exclusive showrooms is definitely "one-step-forward" for Fiat in India. IMHO, this is the beginning of the End of Fiat-Tata relationship as far as sales and service is concerned. This is the first logical step Fiat could have taken before announcing the divorce. Exclusive showrooms would also mean that Fiat gets customer feedback directly. Currently, this is now filtered, lost and evaporated within Tata group. Tata does not take customer feedback seriously, forget telling it to Fiat.

The next logical step is to open exclusive workshops and as per info given by architect, this is going to happen. I'm sure if Fiat pulls this off well, they would be able to re-write their history in India. Fiat is extremely successful in Brazil and I'm sure they can repeat this success in India only by going Solo.

Kudos to Fiat.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by MAS

The opening of Fiat exclusive showrooms is definitely "one-step-forward" for Fiat in India. IMHO, this is the beginning of the End of Fiat-Tata relationship as far as sales and service is concerned. This is the first logical step Fiat could have taken before announcing the divorce. Exclusive showrooms would also mean that Fiat gets customer feedback directly. Currently, this is now filtered, lost and evaporated within Tata group. Tata does not take customer feedback seriously, forget telling it to Fiat.

The next logical step is to open exclusive workshops and as per info given by architect, this is going to happen. I'm sure if Fiat pulls this off well, they would be able to re-write their history in India. Fiat is extremely successful in Brazil and I'm sure they can repeat this success in India only by going Solo.

Kudos to Fiat.

Didn't they tie-up with Tata because they were unsuccessful when they went Solo in India?

[Durango Dude]

Originally Posted by Karthik1100

i think, sipani was imported right? it was not made in india or made for india

Sipani D-1 (diesel hatchback) was an 'indi'genous attempt that went horribly wrong and the misfortune (for me) was when my dad decided to buy one. The Montego that followed was a Rover product that was imported CBU, that was pretty expensive at that time for some 12L !!! OTR in the early nineties, that also fell flat on it's face. If you want a thread on the Sipani D-1 there is one by forum member: Iqbal Veerji who had owned one too.

[sukrit7]

Originally Posted by architect

The Fiat Exclusive Showroom in CP, New Delhi is open / will open within a week (from Fiat officials I met today). Apparently, more of them are in the pipeline.

Close to this is another development that Fiat is likely to open its exclusive Fiat service outlet in Okhla in Delhi in a month or so. It is being opened by Oberoi Motors. It seems the service team is being head-hunted for.

It looked open or absolutely ready a couple of days back. This is good news.
I'm happy that Oberoi cars will be managing the service center in Okhla. I'm mighty pleased with the servicing and support I get there.
The icing on the cake will be the service team, if you and I are thinking along the same lines

[architect]

Originally Posted by sukrit7

I'm happy that Oberoi cars will be managing the service center in Okhla. I'm mighty pleased with the servicing and support I get there.
The icing on the cake will be the service team, if you and I are thinking along the same lines

I guess most of us are thinking along the same lines and waiting to make it happen.

Fiat has appointed a new (exclusive) Service Head for North Zone (earlier it was handled by Tata) who reports directly to Mangesh Kodalkar in Pune. I had the opportunity to meet this person yesterday at Him Motors. He's the one who's given me this concrete information about the Fiat Exclusive Service Centre. you could guess who the head-hunting is about now.

[teknophobia]

I don't know how serious Fiat is about marketing themselves, even the ads that Fiat comes out with are pathetic, look at the latest TV ad, I mean, seriously, what were they smoking? The ad says absolutely nothing about the cars or their features that might tempt a buyer.