[funkykar]

This is a very well written article. The JV definitely has everything to make it very successful. In my opinion the A.S.S has tremendously improved in recent past and yes, the test drives have gotten a lot better.

One thing as stated above that needs a complete overhaul is with the advertising. Anyone would agree on that. Fiat's advertising stratergy seems pathetic. Tata on other hand are far more better. Just compare the TJet ad with the Vista DriveTech ad.

Fiat, wake up. Dont make ad's just for the heck of it. Show what your cars are capable of. TJet, show the performance of it, not just a slow motion ad

[COUNSEL]

Originally Posted by funkykar

Fiat, wake up. Dont make ad's just for the heck of it. Show what your cars are capable of. TJet, show the performance of it, not just a slow motion ad

T-Jet is known for speed but the Ad shows the T-Jet moving in slow motion! AT the end of the Ad, it just says "The new T-Jet with 114 PS"!! Normal janta wont know what 'T' in T-Jet means. Like.. one guy said in Multi-Jet there are Many-Jets and in T-Jet there are only Three-Jets!

Hope the "Brand Store" is not just for accessories as informed to me. They need to sell cars too in such store!

[DieselFan]

This clearly shows the priority given by indian customers for after sales service and the reliability of the cars. FIAT has not learnt from its past mistakes hence its market share is going down the drain. At this point I would like to bring up one interesting 2007 thread on FIAT and its plan to reach 100K Units.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...les-india.html

Where are we today? WILL FIAT SHUT SHOP IN INDIA?

[xPK]

Originally Posted by aargee

Err...FIAT is selling engines to Tata, just thay FIAT doesn't have their own showrooms to sell their cars; but then, they're changing it too right? Did I get something wrong with your question?

I meant concentrate more on engines and not just to TATA. Bring 1.6MJD(the engine), there will be a lot more takers as well. Crack a deal with Maruti, Honda etc etc. for engines.

Originally Posted by aargee

FIAT did come back right? They never lost hope with India right?

Dude, first of all it's not about FIAT, it's about me. I literally don't care about FIAT(or any other car manufacturer for the matter of fact), I just want to make sure my car would be taken care of.

[deepakhon]

@xPK,

Axing their cars and concentrating only on engines would be a bad idea. With the Suzuki-VW JV, I believe it is just a matter of time before the VW engines get into Suzuki. The tables might turn very heavily against Fiat at that time. Also, the way Tata vehicles are selling, it will be a mistake on Fiat's part to believe that they will be able to sell many of Fiat's engines.

What I think Fiat should do is, in addition to selling cars in India, they should make India a hub of manufacturing for all right hand driven variants. This way, they can contain costs globally, and we can get better quality. Case in point is Hyundai.

[xPK]

Originally Posted by deepakhon

@xPK,

Axing their cars and concentrating only on engines would be a bad idea. With the Suzuki-VW JV, I believe it is just a matter of time before the VW engines get into Suzuki. The tables might turn very heavily against Fiat at that time. Also, the way Tata vehicles are selling, it will be a mistake on Fiat's part to believe that they will be able to sell many of Fiat's engines.

Suzuki was just for an example. You see I'm not on FIAT's analysts' panel . Jokes apart, but current range of diesel engines by FIAT are hell lot refined, they also offer good power train and economy as well. So doesn't want such engine. And also I'm not saying FIAT should cut down on cars and concentrate on engines. I'm saying they might, if somehow they could come up some and believe they could earn more bucks on engines than cars. After all it's about how much money do you make. It doesn't make any difference you got it from selling cars or engines.

Originally Posted by deepakhon

What I think Fiat should do is, in addition to selling cars in India, they should make India a hub of manufacturing for all right hand driven variants. This way, they can contain costs globally, and we can get better quality. Case in point is Hyundai.

Yup, as potential FIAT customer, I would love to see any sign of "they aren't ditching again"

[madhukar_n]

As a new Fiat customer, I can only say that they have just stopped short of pampering. The pre-sales, during-sale, immediate-aftersale has been good so far. I hope the post-sales is also like that. I dont know if it is a difference dealer to dealer, but with Prerana it was good so far.

[@tombum]

I have to literally hunt for FIAT ads on TV. There are hardly any. And even if there are, they are just slow moving or stupid ads. Nobody knows the mileage, the power, the features, nothing. The international ads are better. I think they should bring out ads which push the snob value of owning a FIAT!

[selfdrive]

I think Fiat (and Hyundai) have a long way to go before they catch up with the likes of Maruti. I test drove the i20, Manza, Punto and Figo and SX4 last month. Here is a summary of the experience:
i20 - the hyundai dealer who sais would call me back never did. I wwent to another hyundai dealer for the test drive. I had mentioned clearly I will buy it only in March. These guys call twice every week. It smacks of a bit of desperation, and I cannot understand if it is due to other launches. Somehow, we had an issue with the rocket pickup of the i20, passengers get thrown around, and after a short drive you feel you are getting off a rollercoaster!
SX4 - the best experience of the lot. the guy called once, fixed an appointment. Granted he was late by 20 mins, but he came all the way home from the showroom (around 8km in b2b traffic). he had an AT and he only apologised once and asked us to call again in feb to test the MT VVT. Totally professional, if it was a diesel I would seriously consider it.
Manza/ Punto - I must have received 3 calls from teh customer care notifying me that I would receive a call from the dealer. I never got a call from them, but it was Diwali time and the showroom was closed for 4 days. Giving them some benefit of doubt, I ventured into the showroom a week later. After looking around for a SP for 5 mins (there were a lot of people enquiring, not sure about what, as none of them looked at a car) I spoke to a guy who organised a TD of the Punto immediately. Unfortunately, he wasnt keen on a long one, and I must have driven it for max 1 km (just 4 left turns and back to the showroom). For the Manza, we spoke to another lady who kept us waiting for 20 mins after which she realised the car had gone to the service centre. I returned to the showroom later in the week to TD the Manza (we were really impressed when we saw this spacious car). The same lady managed to organise a TD. However, she said she was new, didnt have too much info and said she would ask a colleague to explain once we returned to the showroom. I already knew a lot (from TBHP!) and was in a bit of a hurry, so I left my contact details at the showroom. The surprising part is I never got a call from them later, though I never mentioned I was buying in March. Either they are selling too many cars, or they have too few people to call!!
Figo - the lady explained whatever she could about the car, and allowed for around 2km of TD (is it the max limit for a TD?!). like the car itself, nothing overtly positive or negative about the showroom experience.
Nevertheless, if I purely buy a car for showroom experience, it would have to be the SX4 VVT. However, the wife thinks it is too much of a splurge on a petrol car, so it looks like it would have to be either the Manza or the Figo.
I would really like to go in for a Fiat but boy, they really need to learn from Maruti about how to deal with customers!

[xPK]

Originally Posted by madhukar_n

As a new Fiat customer, I can only say that they have just stopped short of pampering. The pre-sales, during-sale, immediate-aftersale has been good so far. I hope the post-sales is also like that. I dont know if it is a difference dealer to dealer, but with Prerana it was good so far.

That's true. But I would say, it's a job half done. They should do something to attract more people to the showroom.

Originally Posted by @tombum

I have to literally hunt for FIAT ads on TV. There are hardly any. And even if there are, they are just slow moving or stupid ads. Nobody knows the mileage, the power, the features, nothing. The international ads are better. I think they should bring out ads which push the snob value of owning a FIAT!

Absolutely man. And what's this "soft launch" man? Initial launch in selected cities. What the heck is this? How does this help any product?

It always seems like only the owners of these cars are passionate and for FIAT they are just like any other car. Look at VW.Though they have huge budget, but the ads on TV are quite well thought. Before VW entered as a brand, Skoda was pretty much on the decline curve in market, due to their A.S.S. But if you see VW ad (the factory and showroom folks getting sentimental), it really gives the potential customer boost towards VW cars. And we can see as a new entrant in our market, how well VW is doing.

[Trust_In_Thrust]

I think the only arsenal missing in Fiat is marketing/advertisement.
Why do not showcase of invisible features to aam-junta on tv ads ?
Let the world know what is inside Fiat !

[fiat_tarun]

Were any T-BHPians a part of this ?

60 Fiat cars came together from cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Trivandrum and Pune driven by the owners to be part of this exciting day.

Fiat India Automobiles Ltd witnessed a heart-warming moment when Fiat enthusiasts from across the country drove from Pune to visit the company’s factory in nearby Ranjangaon. 60 Fiat cars came together from cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Trivandrum and Pune driven by the owners to be part of this exciting day.

Speaking at this congregation of Fiat lovers, Rajeev Kapoor, President & CEO, Fiat India Automobiles Ltd, said, “We are really glad to see that Fiat fans coming together to be a part of this occasion. This reflects the love and trust Fiat commands; we hope to build on this affection to take Fiat to scaling heights in the coming days.” Fiat enthusiasts were hosted by the company and then were taken to the Ranjangaon for a special visit to showcase the world class manufacturing at the plant.

Source

[COUNSEL]

Originally Posted by fiat_tarun

Were any T-BHPians a part of this ?

It was a Meet organised by Fiat India to the members of a Fiat Forum to showcase their PLANT and also for one to one discussions with Fiat owners.

Its a good step by Fiat to get closer to customers. Hope all these initiatives help Fiat grow in India.

Around 20 T-Bhpians too are part of this drive.

[baz_303]

Its the same old JV story ( V interestin read though, thanks for sharing!)

People start out with great enthusiasm - integration problems - insufficient value generation - blame game - bye bye!!

[CliffHanger]

The inevitable is happening, doomsday for Fiat is just lurking around the corner. Being a Hard core Fiat lover, I just will not be able to see my Fiat dieing. Unlike GTO, who took SWOT analysis to address Honda's resurgence, I'm taking an emotional and practical point of view to address Fiat's resurgence.

A lot of thoughts have been running on my mind since I saw this month's sales numbers and I've written it down whatever that came on my mind.

I just made the following couple of posts in July-'11 sales thread, and on that light I would like to bring forth a solution for Fiat.

Originally Posted by CliffHanger

I just sold off my Punto. Of all the cars we owned, Punto was easily the best. It was so close to our hearts that it even brought tears on my mom's eyes on the day of its departure. As everybody says the resale wasn't bad either, I got a very good deal infact. Almost all people who talked to me, right from a car noob businessman to a corporate techie, were aware of what a Fiat is made up of. But I'm not sure, why new Fiats just aren't selling. Even the service standards have become almost top class. But, the questions still continue to remain.

When I decide on my next car, and if Fiat has an offering in that segment, I will definitely go for Fiat with eyes shut. Such was the ownership experience. Have driven a plethora of cars, but they were are all just cars. Nothing came close to a Fiat.

Fiat will always remain etched in the hearts of all Fiat lovers, even if it becomes extinct in India. Fiat is a Cult, it always was and it always will..

Originally Posted by noopster

That's very touching, but the market doesn't seem to agree.

Originally Posted by CliffHanger

It's because in India people consider buying a car as a major step forward in their lives, a major auspicious occasion for rest of their lives.

Fiat is a failed brand, people consider it inauspicious, and think that they will move towards a negative direction having it. And you know most Indians will even avoid to take up a bungalow offered for free, if someone says it's jinxed.

This is the only reason Fiat isn't selling.

It is clear that Fiat isn't selling only because of the above reason. Fiat marketing team - Everyone knows your cars are best in class and A.S.S has improved by leaps and bounds, but all your ads were crap. It inspired no one and conveyed nothing. Come out of your hibernation, make yourself awake and please do the following immediately.

Play with the emotions and sentiments of people -

We Indians are very emotional and give a lot of respect to sentiments.

Create the following 3 ads.

1. A father sending off her daughter in his Linea after her wedding.

2. A young man taking his Parents in his Linea to his first newly built home.

3. A couple bringing their newly born daughter to their home on their Punto.

Don't be stingy, air these ADs at maximum frequency in maximum nr. of channels. You are not going to earn unless you spend. You should have done all these on your re-entry, but it's better late than never.

What these ADs will do?

A lot of people, when they decide on Fiat, back off just because of the negative vibes. These ads will play on their minds, put them into dilemma, and will erase the negative vibes. A good car with acceptable level of service, and a lot of positive feeling running on one's mind - now what is going to stop a person from buying the car?

Think Fiat! Think!