Can FIAT Re-Establish Itself in India?

[Surfer]

Oups what this ? I have seen this first time.

 

[raj_5004]

Slightly off topic, but its for Fiat fans. Do we remember this model? I liked the design of the alloys ..

Yeah, the above car is Palio/Siena Weekend, the station wagon introduced years back when Palio was a hot seller.

Its not the weekend, its the adventure. basically the weekend with some body cladding & bigger tyres & bull bar.

 

[Thetraveller]

I do not see the showroom thing as the prime reason for not selling the Fiat cars. As per my observation, it is about the end product. See people with tight budget are buying Maruti / Hyundai cars whereas with flexible budget are buying premium cars like VW, Skoda etc. Fiat cars are not cheap as Maruti / Hyundai nor premium as VW / Skoda/Honda (For Petrols). They are in between but product quality does not support premium price. Even if they are giving good discounts, still they are unable to sell cars in good numbers (In Aug some 954 Puntos and 113 Lineas were sold).

Their petrol cars are pathetic or not as good as Hondas or any other brand (Personal opinion). Their Diesel engine is a gem and available with different cars in large numbers. So no exclusivity on any front. THEY HAVE TO REVIVE THE BRAND BY CORRECTING PRICES AND REVIVING MODELS.

Else they will be history. Opening up Fiat cafe's would help but how much only time will tell. Their image is in a bad shape so even if they open a cafe in CP (Connaught Place, Delhi) I would not go from my place to see that cafe for the sake of seeing their cafe - period.

Yes, pricing is another point where they are seriously losing out. But to call the cars not premium would be a little injustice. Except for the interior plastics and upholstery everything else about the cars is great. They have great handling, suspension, build, and engines barring 1.2 petrol. What they need is a serious thought to their marketing strategy and pulling down price points by a little margin. Any great brand picks up on good marketing and I fail to see anything in print or tv which suggests they really want to target volume.

 

[Surfer]

I fail to see anything in print or tv which suggests they really want to target volume.

Agree,Maruti is heavily advertising on TV.Fiat should do this.

 

[Thetraveller]

Great to see finally a full fledged ad coming up on festival season. Go Fiat.

With each day my love towards FIAT keeps on growing, and I have no clue why

Fiat's Passion creates Magic Commercial (Hindi) - YouTube

 

[Nuvo]

With this ad, hope of seeing a refreshed Punto/Linea goes away.

 

[shailinder]

Ad says refreshed interiors. So have they changed the interiors of Punto or showing Linea interiors and fooling people by saying luxurious interiors. To me, in ad interiors are of Linea.

What say !

 

[carfreak]

Fiat small car which was supposed to be launched by 2012 has been delayed till 2013-14.

Chief executive officer of Fiat India Rajeev Kapoor told that the "company's move is aimed at reaping benefits from its current range of cars. As part of the strategy, the company would not introduce any new car model till 2013-14, but look at consolidating its current range. This would mean that the company's much hyped small car would not hit the roads next year as it was widely believed.

He said that the company is also working on a new brand positioning strategy to underline the qualities of its products. “We are working on a new product. But at the side we are looking at building on the network and brand. We would focus on bringing in a new brand strategy to bring out the Italianess of the brands,” he said.

Source: Financial Express

 

[shailinder]

Fiat small car which was supposed to be launched by 2012 has been delayed till 2013-14.

Chief executive officer of Fiat India Rajeev Kapoor told that the "company's move is aimed at reaping benefits from its current range of cars. As part of the strategy, the company would not introduce any new car model till 2013-14, but look at consolidating its current range. This would mean that the company's much hyped small car would not hit the roads next year as it was widely believed.

He said that the company is also working on a new brand positioning strategy to underline the qualities of its products. “We are working on a new product. But at the side we are looking at building on the network and brand. We would focus on bringing in a new brand strategy to bring out the Italianess of the brands,” he said.

Source: Financial Express

Well after reading the above post I can only say ALL THE BEST Fiat and nothing else. Because people at Fiat are either not checking the sites like ours or not really interested in improving anything in near future. They are so lethargic in approach I think.

A new car would add some masala or another card in there line-up but only if they are really interested.

 

[Thetraveller]

Fiat small car which was supposed to be launched by 2012 has been delayed till 2013-14.

Chief executive officer of Fiat India Rajeev Kapoor told that the "company's move is aimed at reaping benefits from its current range of cars. As part of the strategy, the company would not introduce any new car model till 2013-14, but look at consolidating its current range. This would mean that the company's much hyped small car would not hit the roads next year as it was widely believed.

He said that the company is also working on a new brand positioning strategy to underline the qualities of its products. “We are working on a new product. But at the side we are looking at building on the network and brand. We would focus on bringing in a new brand strategy to bring out the Italianess of the brands,” he said.

Source: Financial Express

As per me the thought process is great. Fiat first needs to consolidate and get a hold on the market rather than bring in another model without doing any homework, lest new model will have the same fate as existing ones in this age of cut throat.
They have 2 of the great cars barring few glitches which need to be corrected and a big hole in terms of Sales, Marketing and After sales. They should try to fill those gaps first and then can look at bringing more model/variants.
And yeah reduce those prices a little *secretly wishing*!

 

[Surfer]

And yeah reduce those prices a little *secretly wishing*

I think they are offering great discounts.
Last month Punto Emotion was about 6.3 L on-road in pune which I think is good price compare to others.

 

[carfreak]

The saga of Fiat logo.. From 1901 to 2007

 

[powerpacked]

I think they are offering great discounts.
Last month Punto Emotion was about 6.3 L on-road in pune which I think is good price compare to others.

Even the Diesel car in petrol price (something like that I didn’t recall the exact advertisement phrase ) doing well in terms sales figures.

 

[350Z]

I do not see the showroom thing as the prime reason for not selling the Fiat cars. As per my observation, it is about the end product. See people with tight budget are buying Maruti / Hyundai cars whereas with flexible budget are buying premium cars like VW, Skoda etc. Fiat cars are not cheap as Maruti / Hyundai nor premium as VW / Skoda/Honda (For Petrols). They are in between but product quality does not support premium price. Even if they are giving good discounts, still they are unable to sell cars in good numbers (In Aug some 954 Puntos and 113 Lineas were sold).

Their petrol cars are pathetic or not as good as Hondas or any other brand (Personal opinion). Their Diesel engine is a gem and available with different cars in large numbers. So no exclusivity on any front. THEY HAVE TO REVIVE THE BRAND BY CORRECTING PRICES AND REVIVING MODELS.

Else they will be history. Opening up Fiat cafe's would help but how much only time will tell. Their image is in a bad shape so even if they open a cafe in CP (Connaught Place, Delhi) I would not go from my place to see that cafe for the sake of seeing their cafe - period.

Shailinder has hit the nail on the head, but I still wouldn’t say that selling the cars under roof of Tata will be a wise idea. Fiat definitely needs to set up its own individual dealerships (Read why, here: http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...s/4121-why-tata-worried-about-fiat-india.html)

Yes, pricing is another point where they are seriously losing out. But to call the cars not premium would be a little injustice.

Let me revise that statement: Fiat cars are premium but the Fiat's brand image is still not.

Even the Diesel car in petrol price (something like that I didn’t recall the exact advertisement phrase ) doing well in terms sales figures.

Yes. The scheme indeed did pretty well but sadly, it lasted only for a month.

Drive Safe,
350Z

 

[mo11]

Hello All,
Just need an opinion from you all knowledgeable folks out there.
I am about to book Punto 1.3 MJD tomorrow(6-Oct-11).
I have read most of the info/reviews on this forum and that has certainly helped me make this decision apart from my own test drive.
Now, the only thing that is lingering on my mind is about "FIAT in India".
I have read about Fiat planning to setup its own stores and all. But I hope these are not last ditch efforts to sustain operations in India(I read about export to Srilanka also.). So, I am just wondering if this will turn out to be a bad decision in the long run if (god forbid) Fiat thinks it is enough.you know?
Please help! Thanks in advance!