Italian automaker, Fiat, is now desperate to establish itself in the Indian market. After failure of its Uno and not so successful Palio, the company is now looking forward to release a small car that would compete with Maruti’s top selling Alto model in India.
The new car will be positioned below the company’s premium hatchback model, Fiat Grande Punto. The new car will be tailor made to suit the Indian roads and needs of Indian passengers.
Mr. Rajeev Kapoor, MD, Fiat India, said, “It will be an all-new car, nothing to do with any of our other models and will be priced aggressively. It will compete with the Alto and will have a one-litre engine. The Uno brand has become rather generic in nature. We are still figuring out a new brand name for the car. The new car will be an India-specific one, made in India, made for India, keeping in mind the country’s unique terrain and temperatures.”
In order to successfully distribute its models across India, Fiat tied up with Tata Motors which helped it to gain customers’ confidence. The company is now focusing on entry level small cars which make up the majority of the Indian auto market.
There are some major factors for Fiat to consider such as- good service, easy availability of parts and lower production costs. In order to make the cars more competitive, car makers like Tata and Maruti Suzuki, built their cars in Indian manufacturing plants.
The company is happy with the sales figure of its Grande Punto but in order to address the mass, the company needs to have its own small car. It would help Fiat to increase its market share by 1.5%. Though the small car segment is very large, it is highly competitive with major automakers like Ford, Hyundai, Tata, Suzuki has their own small cars.
Fiat India Automobiles Ltd. is going to launch Fiat Grande Punto, a premium category hatchback car on June 17, 2009. Previously, in South Asia Blog, I wrote extensively on Maruti Ritz and Honda Jazz. After Honda Jazz, Fiat Grande Punto is the second car to be launched in the Indian market in June. The Fiat Grande Punto was first unveiled at the 2005 Frankfurt Motor Show and went on sale in that same year. In India, both the Fiat Grande Punto and Fiat Linea were unveiled at the Delhi Auto Expo in 2008. The Fiat Grande Punto will compete with premium hatchback cars like Skoda Fabia, Maruti Suzuki Swift, Ford Fusion and Hyundai i20, and Honda Jazz.
About Fiat India Automobiles Ltd.:
A 50:50 joint venture between Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. and Tata Motors Limited, Fiat India Automobiles Ltd. started its journey in 1997. However, the definitive agreement between the two companies was signed on October 19 2007. Currently, the company employs about 600 people. The manufacturing plant of the company situated at Ranjangaon in the Pune district of Maharashtra. The manufacturing plant produces the Fiat Palio Stile and Fiat Linea. The board of directors of Fiat India Automobiles Ltd. consists of five members from both Fiat and Tata. Fiat India is also planning to build a strong dealer network that would consists of 100 sales and services outlets within June 17, 2009.
Design:
The current Fiat Grande Punto is the third generation of super-mini car produced by the Fiat Group Automobiles S. p. A. Though positioned as a compact car in India, the Fiat Grande Punto is a large car compared to other premium hatchback models produced so far in India. The new Fiat Grande Punto comes with a new chassis and body shell. Designed by famous car designer, Giorgetto Giugario, the all new Fiat Grande Punto focuses on three qualities- beauty, solidity, and brilliance. The car is built on the platform of Fiat Linea, the sedan version of the Fiat Grande Punto. The Fiat Linea was launched in 2007. After getting good response for Fiat Linea in India, Fiat India decided to launch the Grande Punto.
Awards and accolades:
The new Fiat Grande Punto won several awards and accolades for its high performance and cutting edge design:
In 2005, the car won the 2005 Golden Steering Wheel, Germany’s most prestigious prize. The jury board of the prize consists of car experts, celebrities from the entertainment world, and racing drivers.
In 2006, the Fiat Grande Punto won the prestigious Autocar Magazine’s design award.
In October 2007, the Fiat Grande Punto built in Brazil won the prestigious Auto Interamericana.
In December 2007, the Fiat Grande Punto produced in Brazil won “Imprensa Automotiva 2007.″. The jury panel of the prize consisted of 63 automotive journalists from various Brazilian newspapers, magazines and radio stations.
The Fiat Grande Punto was named “Carro Do anno 2008 ” (Car of the Year 2008) in Brazil.
Won the prestigious Auto Europa in Italy.
Named the BestCity Car in France.
Version & Variants:
The Fiat Grande Punto will be available in both petrol and diesel version. Fiat India will offer three variants of the Fiat Grande Punto- Active, Dynamic, and Emotion. The Fiat Grande Punto Active will be fitted with a 1.2 liter petrol engine. The Fiat Grande Dynamic and Fiat Grande Emotion will come with 1.4 liter petrol engine. There is also going to be another multi-jet diesel engine version which is famous for its high performance and fuel economy.
Safety:
The Fiat Grande has EURO NCAP 5 star ratings. It is one of the safest cars ever launched in the India market.
Price:
The petrol version (Dynamic and Emotion) of the Fiat Grande Punto will cost between Rs. 4,50,000 and Rs.6,00,000. The diesel version will be priced between Rs.5,25,000 and Rs.6,50,000. The Fiat Grande Punto will contain 60-70% parts that will be produced in India and that amount will be gradually increased to 85% in future. Currently, Fiat Linea is produced entirely at the Fiat India’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Ranjangaon near Pune in Maharashtra. Already, Fiat has started training session and product demonstration for its dealers.
