[maverickxx2006]

The main issue are marketing, brand building and converting people sitting on fence (due to Fiat's earlier image) into sales. If these issues are tackled, I think it would be a great achievement.

As far as the after sales is concerned, I don't think Fiat is behind. In fact I would say its on par, and I'm saying this on my own personal experience. There may be cases where people have suffered. But hey, no *A.S.S* for any car manifacturer is perfect.

[ajay_satpute]

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

No offense to the countless Fiat fans here, but Fiat is a company managed by unprofessional people. Considering, when they set shop here they have gone on a power slide that's see's no stopping. Fiat is one company that after HM that may file for BIFR.

Team-BHP Support: Let's not resort to name calling. Please maintain decorum on the forum. Thanks

On a lighter note, if FIAT does file for BIFR, then Maruti, Tata and Chevy might have to do so. All these companies are doing extremely well only because they have Fiat diesel engines under the hood. So mind it!

[maverickxx2006]

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

No offense to the countless Fiat fans here, but Fiat is a company managed by unprofessional people. Considering, when they set shop here they have gone on a power slide that's see's no stopping. Fiat is one company that after HM that may file for BIFR.

Team-BHP Support: Let's not resort to name calling. Please maintain decorum on the forum. Thanks

Just because Fiat cars aren't selling doesn't warrant such rant.

1. Have you ever used CEO corner from Fiat website?
2. Have you logged a complaint to Fiat and seen the response you get?

I have done that and I'm pleased with the way Fiat responded.

If a complaint is logged, would CEO of leading car manifacturers like Maruti or Hyundai would care to reply?

Agreed that Fiat lacks in marketing dept and surely is making some progress into it and needs to do a lot into it. But point to note is its sincerely doing some of these things.

No offence meant, and agree that Fiat sales arent good but it doesnt warrant for such a blatant claim.

[rameshnanda]

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

No offense to the countless Fiat fans here, but Fiat is a company managed by unprofessional people. Considering, when they set shop here they have gone on a power slide that's see's no stopping. Fiat is one company that after HM that may file for BIFR.

Team-BHP Support: Let's not resort to name calling. Please maintain decorum on the forum. Thanks

I was shocked to see this post. I don't know what prompted you to use such a strong statement.

Eventhough I am facing issues with my booking of Linea, I was able to reach out to the higher Fiat officials and they also giving me a reply in a Professional manner.

I highly doubt whether this would be possible with other leading or best selling manufacturers in India.

[SunilM]

A.S.S is not an issue with Fiat as most of us try to project. I have a couple of friends who have Punto and they are mostly satisfied with service. What they are not satisfied is the quality of the product. Poor interiors and finish, Loose/falling off parts, body rust etc are sadly too common in Fiat cars, sometimes even before they are sold - just search TBHP and you will see what I mean. In today's age, this is just not acceptable and customers will punish you for it. There is a reason why gem of a car like Punto sells <1000 cars and A.S.S is not the reason. I think Fiat is barking up at the wrong tree.

[teamveevee]

Originally Posted by nkg77

I have been owning Fiat cars for the last 4 years. I never had any issues with non-availability of spares till now. The TASS people are lazy and that's the major reason for poor quality of service.

My brother owns a Fiat Linea and he is also very happy with the car. But he mentioned many times, the service people do things entirely different from what he asked them to do...
But one thing i do not understand is why blame Tata, is it more to do with the dealer? All the staff at the service center are hired and managed by the dealer. They could train as many technitians as required. One thing i noticed myself is, at any time 80% of the people coming to the service centers are drivers, not owners. I do not see this mix getting changed in the near future. One option is for Tata to follow the airlines, that is create a "Premium" club and provide special service to this club, provide seperate que and bay for these vehicles.

[ironshark]

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

No offense to the countless Fiat fans here, but Fiat is a company managed by unprofessional people. Considering, when they set shop here they have gone on a power slide that's see's no stopping. Fiat is one company that after HM that may file for BIFR.

Team-BHP Support: Let's not resort to name calling. Please maintain decorum on the forum. Thanks

It is unfortunate to make such a comment if you do not have 1st hand experience about what is being said here. I am a satisfied owner of a Punto MJD E+ and I am very closely watching the efforts Fiat is taking to improve its service and customer satisfaction. Try writing an email to Mr. Rajeev Kapoor for the smallest of issues and track in how much time will you get an affirmative reply. This promptness in service is being percolated down the hierarchy as well. Sensing the direction of the wind, Fiat has finally realised that it is high time that they pull up their socks and fight the competition. When they have the arsenal of fine products like Punto and Linea at their disposal, I see no reason why they can't make it up there. The quality of service and customer orientation is DEFINITELY increasing. So please give a second thought before making such fiery statements . Fiat as a brand is much respected and is also responsible for making engines for the best selling hatches in India!

[architect]

I have owned a Fiat for three-and-a-half years, and 72,000 km as of today. I have seen it all. Here's is what I think:

Fiat makes cars which provide a balance between ride, handling and steering characteristics which are generally far better than those in that price range by others. I am sure most people will agree with that.

Fiat cars are rugged and generally are doing fine UNTIL something goes wrong. Once it does go wrong, then it all depends upon which A.S.C. you take it to. If they are good (which is a rare case, and till last week, I was lucky to be visiting such an A.S.C. till it shut down) and they make a correct diagnosis, then half your battle is won.

The second part of the "If something goes wrong battle" is availability of spares. That's as dicey as Russian Roulette. I have had to wait for 5-6 days at times but not more. hrsraghav had to wait for 5 months to get his car back on road after the accident.

If you manage through these experiences nicely, then the final blow is when the car cannot be sold because nobody wants it and it goes for peanuts (which means you're stuck with it for longer even if you want an upgrade).

It is because of these reasons I never recommend a Fiat to anyone who is not an admirer or a fanboy. I hate to give wrong advice.

I have not added the lackadaisical dealer experience, the wrong Registration certificate made by them, the cracked windscreen they delivered the car with and other matters. These problems happen on a case-to-case basis. While I am not alone on this, but many others have had a positive experience. So these are not exactly generic issues.

Apart from all this, off late the parts failure rate has been on the higher side in Fiats and I see more problems in Lineas and Puntos than my Palio Stile. Most of the these are quality issues and not design issues.

I have never said they're badly designed, or badly engineered cars. The depth of engineering and design in a Fiat speaks when you drive these cars, despite the somewhat coarse and raucuous nature of their modern diesels and the short power band that the 1,248 cc multijet has, but that's because it produces more power than all its bigger competitors. Most importantly, they are pleasing to the eye, instead of the quirky things that pass off as cars nowadays.

I have stated the problems like many others. Now it's up to Fiat to understand these issues rather than have some MBA sit and figure another fantastic marketing strategy like "petrol at the price of diesel".

[Shivank]

Everyone wants to buy a Fiat! Between the Fiat and the showroom gate though, there always was a Tata. The Linea is a fantastic looking car but then a Manza is not an ugly duckling either. Same goes with the Punto. A layman would always chose a Manza/Vista over the more expensive Linea/Punto, unless he's completely sold to the Italian curves of the Fiats.

Great move by Fiat but they have tough times ahead for sure.

My uncles/relatives will not be distracted by Tatas anymore, and will only be concentrating on the Linea/Punto the next time I suggest them for a new car.

[NoMind]

Originally Posted by rameshnanda

I was shocked to see this post. I don't know what prompted you to use such a strong statement.

Eventhough I am facing issues with my booking of Linea, I was able to reach out to the higher Fiat officials and they also giving me a reply in a Professional manner.

I highly doubt whether this would be possible with other leading or best selling manufacturers in India.

I had a very similar experience to rameshnanda. I sent out an email to ricky walter. Mangesh responds within 2 days very professionally and addresses my concerns and lays out a basic action plan.

So I'd say so far not bad. Not great but not unresponsive as a lot of posts here seem to suggest.

For the record , I have not had great customer experience dealing with Hyundai -Kun in hyderabad either with my family's santro.

[cingsman]

"Fiat says Tata, all set to launch brand stores"

I am not sure the title reads correct. Does anybody else see it that way?

[PhiGolden]

Originally Posted by cingsman

"Fiat says Tata, all set to launch brand stores"

I am not sure the title reads correct. Does anybody else see it that way?

I reads correct, FIAT says tata bye bye

[julupani]

Actually title is not at all correct in the present discussion.

According to the report I read today, the new exclusive showrooms too will be opened by existing Tata dealers only. Though there is some talk of having a separate distribution system for FIAT, but will continue to be under the Tata fold.

Similarly, FIAT's will continue to be sold through almost all Tata dealers as in present scenario. FIAT is looking to add exclusive showrooms only in the big cities, and in pretty small numbers. They are starting with about 20 and will go upto about 55 according to reports.

Similar situation will exist on the service front as well.

Its just a different strategy by the Tata-FIAT JV. Fiat cannot possibly say tata to Tata at all. Fiat sell no more than 2000 cars a month in the best of times. Their factory remains open only because of the large amount of engines, transmissions and cars they make for Tata. More Tatas roll off the FIAT assembly line than FIATs.

Not to mention, Tata made a 1200cr investment into the Tata-FIAT JV, from which till now they have made a 250cr loss in the last couple of years. I dont think FIAT would want to buy out the Tata's investment in any way at all so as to actually say tata to Tata.

Not to mention, as a FIAT customer myself, I actually want Tata to stay with FIAT. Because of one simple thing. I dont want FIAT reaching a point where they have no choice but to ditch existing customers. The partnership with Tata ensures, that even if they make pretty big losses, they can continue to remain in the market.

Also, partnership with Tata keeps spare prices down, as many suppliers are shared with Tata and also FIAT has decent volumes to play with thanks to Tata. Not to mention, I can fearlessly take my Punto into even the remotest corners of this country not scared of a breakdown, as there will always be a Tata dealer nearby to help out. Its Tata's massive dealer network which allows FIAT to provide nationwide roadside assistance for free.

Overall, as a FIAT customer, my point is, YES to exclusive showrooms and service centres, but a big NO to a breakup with Tata.

[Durango Dude]

Give me one good reason why a car with so many great qualities and reasonably priced and such good after sales service should be selling in such small number's.

[rameshnanda]

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

Give me one good reason why a car with so many great qualities and reasonably priced and such good after sales service should be selling in such small number's.

Why Fiat is not selling well is discussed so many times and in so many threads. If you ask me, they are not doing good marketing. You shouldn't be personally attacking Fiat for the reason they are not selling well. Would you be able to justify with a reason why they are unprofessional?