[nitindangoria]

I have been regularly following the Linea threads, before and after its launch. I have a feeling that the hype created before the launch has not continued once the deliveries have started. Nor have I seen many Lineas on the road.

Does anyone have any sales figures to indicate whether Fiat has been successful in launching the Linea or will it now bet on the GP to bail itself out?

[Switch]

The car is selling slowly due to various reasons.

1. Recession
2. Underpowered for the size.
3. Bad image of FIAT A.S.S.

Things going in for the car:

1. Looks
2. Features
3. VFM

The sales are happening but not so fast. I have a neighbor who has bought a Linea. But my friend after liking the car looks(Interior and Exterior) did not go for it cause of the second and third reason. Also looking at the delivery dates given by Fiat Dealers it surely does not look like a hot selling car(In case of Palio the delivery date were over 3+ months).

We will have to wait and then comment weather the car is a Hit or a Flop. It is only after the Honeymoon period of the car is over that one can comment on the car. Real reports will start pouring in once people have ridden the car for over 30000+ kilometers. A real decision can only be made in the last quarter of the year when the recession will be on the low and the car would have completed almost an year in the market.

[ms001]

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...-analysis.html

Please refer to this thread for detailed sales figures , since launch.

[amit]

Originally Posted by nitindangoria

Nor have I seen many Lineas on the road.

One reason for this could be that majority of the Linea's in demand are Emotion+ and that variant is what's delaying deliveries. Initially, I didn't spot too many on the road but now I see one almost everyday so I guess deliveries are being streamlined / speeded up now.

Does anyone have any sales figures to indicate whether Fiat has been successful in launching the Linea

See the Indian car sales thread which will give you a clear idea of the Linea is doing.

More then the Linea, it's the i20 that I am interested in. If the i20 sells well it would mean exciting hatcbacks like GP, Jazz, Polo have a real chance in the Indian market. Hyundai claims to have sold 2,500 units in one month but there are very few i20's that we can see on the road.

If we take crude samples of :

1.) Cars we spot on the road and
2.) Initial car reviews posted on this forum

it seems like the Linea is selling more then the i20.

[phamilyman]

Its selling very decently.

Compared with the SX4 say, its selling almost as much - quite credible for Fiat.

yes it could've been better - but that's life

If you wanna buy - just go ahead - nothing to worry. There's been good news from the owners all around!!

[bottle]

I guess the deliveries were slow, lately have been seeing quite a few lineas on road

[Prash]

Originally Posted by nitindangoria

I have been regularly following the Linea threads, before and after its launch. I have a feeling that the hype created before the launch has not continued once the deliveries have started. Nor have I seen many Lineas on the road.

Does anyone have any sales figures to indicate whether Fiat has been successful in launching the Linea or will it now bet on the GP to bail itself out?

I dont know about the HIT OR FLOP thing but ya Linea is selling well.
According to the SIAM sales comparo Linea is the segment leader which consist of cars like Honda civic and above its class.
As compared with the cars within the price range of 6 to 10 lakhs Linea is the second largest selling car in this segment behind Honda City beating other all.

Sales in past months
DEC - 08 = 180
JAN - 09 = 1650
FEB - 09 = 1250
MARCH 09 = 1600
These are approximate figures and not the actual. But 50 + or -.
NOW ITS UPTO YOU TO DECIDE LINEA IS A FLOP OR HIT SALES WISE.

[speedzak]

Linea is a big example of what blown up hype is all about and how bad and hollow it can be.
The car itself ain't that great to make it a huge success or even a hit by it's own virtues. It's just a decent looking car with some fancy features, badly designed interiors, a very underpowered engine, bad brand image and horrible A.S.S backup which is still begging to be improved.
And Fiat chose the incorrect way of marketing it by trying to blow it up as the car of the year by different magazines and making pointless magazine suppliments. Well, I am not a judge to comment on it's righteousness and sincerity, so no comments on that part.
Finally, what has happened is that Fiat delivered a disappointing car after all the hype and failed in successfully marketing it. In this honeymoon period, it may appear all well and good which is normal with any flopped car.

The bad service and insufficient customer satisfactory status will only make things worse ahead. Sorry Fiat, there're hoards and loads of work to make any of your products a success in India.

[raneeshvijayan]

One dealer in Pune told me they have 50+ bookings in first 3 weeks ( apparently, there is a waiting period of 4 weeks for top end diesel).

In pune roads I see atleast couple of them everyday. Not sure if Linea is a hit, but its not a flop for sure.

Raneesh

[SkyWalker]

IMHO, the car is doing pretty decent. 1500+ cars over 3 months for FIAT is substantial. In fact i would think it is successful. Probably customer confidence would increase after more people buy it and mention good things about it.

FIAT could really help it by bringing that 1.6 VGT engine here soon. This car has got the looks and the features, a good engine would really do wonders to it. I would have chosen this over ANHC if it came with a 120 bhp 1.6 VGT.

[vnabhi]

I think it is doing pretty good---I do spot a Linea almost everyday. The sales figures may not be as encouraging as when the Fiesta was introduced or when the SX4 was introduced---but there was no recession those days, so we do not have a level playing ground for comparision.

Apart from its underpowered engine, it also has to contend with established players like the Verna and the Fiesta, apart from the newly introduced ANHC. We need to wait for another 6 months before passing a judgement.

[pranava999]

hi im a linea owner and have test driven a few of the other cars in the segment including the verna and New Honda city. I don't intend to get into a debate or an argument here, but i think its a lovely car to drive. It does look better than its competitors, I own a petrol and i think its not too bad at all. the ride quality is easily the best. Just got back from a 100+ km run on a mixture of newly tarmaced roads and some pukka portions and she felt rock solid right through.

the interiors quality,fit and finish is way better than the New Honda city.The build quality is very good too.

Even I am a little surprised to see very few on the roads compared to the claims of the dealers, but i think the demand for the packs has exceeded fiat initial estimates and that could be the reason you are not seeing too many. I also think for the price that is so attractive who would not want to shell 40k extra for ABS, a wonderful set of factory alloys and airbags? the car is priced aggressively.

yes i would not be honest in saying that I am not worried about servicing, but I am sure they cant get it too wrong this time around. will definitely keep the site posted on my experience with ***.

[akshay4587]

Linea is selling Pretty well here in Punjab

[finneyp]

The sales figures of Linea is pretty decent, hope it continues.
Also we are seeing BHPians buying a Linea almost everyday.

Am happy Linea is doing so well!

[Sankar]

Too early to say whether it's a hit or a flop. Some products take time to prove in the market. If Fiat can change the general perception of their sales and service for good, i don't see why it should fail.