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Thursday, 21 August 2008
Volkswagen Evaluates the Possibility of Expansion in India
At one end of the spectrum, when Fiat announced to open a R&D centre and Maruti is planning to start a design centre, at the other end the Volkswagen is also working on to open a research centre in India. The plan of setting up a research centre in India is a step to expand its market share in the mushrooming Indian car industry. The proposed centre is expected to be in line with the accident research centre of the company set up in China almost three years back. In the established research centre, skilled professionals research the causes, aftermaths and other essentials of the car accident and then use the findings in incorporating safety features in the cars. The similar approach is set for the Indian research centre. The Volkswagen believes that different countries have different cultures, road and weather conditions. These differences invite a need for completely different set of safety measures and features in the cars available in different countries. India also has its own ifs and buts when it comes to car safety and accidents. The company plans to research all the accident sites in the country and then incorporate safety features in accordance to the India specific conditions. Currently, India has limited infrastructure to incorporate a range of safety features.
The company is looking forward to fit in some features while the rest like lane departure indications and night view are not supported by the Indian infrastructure. Volkswagen promises to gradually bring out these features as well. Labels: car safety, Fiat, Maruti, Volkswagen
Tuesday, 19 August 2008
Fiat to Set up a Car Design Centre
Fiat India Automobiles Pvt. Ltd. is planning to set up a car design center in India which will eventually strengthen the Indian car industry and make it more promising in the global market. Fiat is evaluating the possibility and issues associated with establishing a Research & Design Center (R&D) centre at its Ranjangaon plant in partnership with Tata Motors. Till date, the country drives to the West to design a car but now the emerging Indian market is preparing itself to learn the technical specifications. India is believed to be a hub of technical expertise, but because of lack of infrastructure, Indians were never successful in implementing print to reality. With Fiat planning to settle down a design center in India, Indian car manufacturers will get a better hold on the designing and other aspects of their production. Labels: Car-Design, Car-Manufacturers, Fiat
Thursday, 31 July 2008
Fiat Develops Two-Cylinder Diesel Engine
The Fiat plans to develop a two-cylinder diesel engine for the global car market including India. This two-cylinder engine is mainly designed for small cars and is known as ‘Fiat’s twin wonder’. The diesel engine is expected to be manufactured at Fiat’s Ranjangaon facility in India. The company also plans to sell the same cylinder to other companies across the global car industry. Fiat has an alliance with the Tata Motors and it was expected to be a confirm consumer for this engine. But Tata Motors is producing its own twin-cylinder for its ultra-cheap car, the Nano. Maruti does not have any such kind of small diesel to fit in its small cars. But do you think will Maruti approach Fiat for its requirement? Maruti is considered to be Fiat's best stake. Through the production of this twin-cylinder diesel engine, the company is planning to strengthen its presence in India. Labels: Car-engine, Car-Manufacturers, Diesel, Fiat, Nano
Tuesday, 29 July 2008
Fiat Makes a Smart Move
Fiat makes a smart move in the Indian car industry. After the launch of Fiat 500 or Cinquecento, the Italian car manufacturer is planning to bring its other iconic brands like Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, and Maserati to create a new individuality in the market. Fiat is now following a complete revamp plan, wherein the company will not only introduce new vehicles to the market but will also sell the excess capacity of diesel and petrol engines. The famed car engine of Fiat, 1,300cc multijet diesel, is produced at its Ranjangaon factory. The company plans to sell this engine to various other car manufactures and fill the shortage of such engines in the Indian market. Fiat implements the revival plan in India with the launch of Fiat 500. Though the cost price of this coupe is too high, for about Rs 15 lakh, the company is not worried because there is a conform belief that the unique style will showcase the Fiat brand to Indian audience. The car is built with a combination of style, safety, elegance and remarkable engine quality. The company is also in process to roll out its Linea sedan and Grande Punto. The company claims that these cars will be produced locally to suit the Indian conditions. With its revival plan, Fiat plans to compete with leading car manufacturers like Maruti Suzuki Motors, Tata Motors, Hyundai Motors, and Honda Seil India. Do you think Fiat will win the race? Labels: Car-Manufacturers, Fiat, Fiat 500, Hyundai-Motors
Wednesday, 16 July 2008
Yes/No to the Fiat 500 in India?
Fiat is trying to make a comeback in the Indian car industry with its new Fiat 500. The car will be launched exactly 50 years after the launch of the original Fiat 500. Currently, it is difficult to test the compatibility between Fiat 500 and India. No one can say how well the 500 will work in the Indian car market. The older version of Fiat 500 was appreciated by the consumers because of its looks and cheap price tag, but the latest version is a stylish two-door car with loads of luxurious amenities and a higher price tag! The small car segment in India has been the most successful, but buying a small car mostly focuses on affordability. One Fiat 500 will cost the same as 12 Tata Nano cars or 6 Maruti 800 cars or 5 Maruti Alto cars or 4 Chevrolet Spark/Hyundai Santro/Tata Indica cars. Fiat is completely dependant on the car’s advanced features and superb performance to overshadow the price factor. An elegant and striking exterior with loaded interiors may just help Fiat turn the tide and score a 500 win in India. Labels: Fiat, Fiat 500, Fiat Motors
Monday, 9 June 2008
New Models Coming Soon from Fiat
Fiat is trying hard and going around to change their image worldwide and in India. They have already announced many new models for India such as the Linea, Grande Punto, Bravo and 500. In addition to these models, Fiat is planning to introduce a microcar that is based on the same platform as the Fiat 500. The low cost car is expected to come out some time in 2009. 
A replacement for the Fiat Palio Stile is also on the cards. The new car is expected to be classier in design and more comfortable. The Grande Punto and the Linea are ready for launch in late 2008. Labels: Fiat, low cost car, new car launch
Friday, 18 April 2008
Palio successor soon
Fiat has always been making attempts to keep its customers a happier lot. Now with a line up of new modes slated to be launched in India, the Italian car maker is also planning a successor to its biggest selling Palio model. The Palio’s successor will be based on Panda platform but will have a bigger body. This is a part of companies plan to introduce low priced car in India markets by 2010. The car is expected to be ready by the end of next year. Therefore, with the growing interest of Car makers in manufacturing small cars depict that the trend is moving away from big cars and SUVs due to rising fuel costs and growing concern about pollution. Labels: Fiat, Palio, SUVs
Monday, 31 March 2008
Fiat will compete with BMW
Fiat is re-launching Fiat 500 in India soon. It seems that Fiat is planning to give a tough competition to BMW’s Mini. When Fiat will launch its 500 it is expected to take on the costliest hatchback of India BMW Mini. Fiat priced at Rs 13 lakh onwards and BMW Mini priced at Rs 20 lakh. Both these cars carry the retro design, carrying with it the legacy of European history. It will be interesting to see if these European cars carry their magic to India. These car manufacturers will most probably fight for a thin line of consumer segment, which have an option to buy luxury cars or SUV or 500 or Mini. Maybe the consumer will eventually decide on who is the boss of hatch back cars in India. Labels: Car competition, Fiat, Fiat 500, Hatchbacks, Indian SUV, new car launch
Tuesday, 4 March 2008
Foreign cars-Indian price
The race is on to capture the small car segment in India. While many car manufacturers are toying with ideas of releasing small cars at ultra-low costs to reach out to the common man in India, foreign car manufacturers are also thinking the same.
BMW, Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, Volvo and Fiat for example are striving hard to make their cars affordable in India and also to enable at the least upper-middle class to be able to own their cars by shelling out decent amounts. Not to be left behind, Fiat has already decided to roll out its most popular European small car Fiat 500 and the Fiat Bravo at Rs.10 lakh in India. Volkswagen and BMW are waiting to release the Beetle and Mini Cooper brands respectively within the limit of Rs. 20 lakh. The entry of foreign cars with competitive price tags in India will surely make Indian car manufacturers to give good cars at reasonable price. Labels: Audi, BMW, Fiat, Foreign cars, Small car market in India
Tuesday, 26 February 2008
Fiat Palio will come with a cleaner engine
Fiat enthusiasts now have now another option on the Palio Stile. Fiat is launching a 1.3 liter multi-jet diesel engine to power the Palio. The engine is new technology developed by Fiat and they are planning to use it in almost all the models that they plan to launch in India soon. Maruti too wants to have this engine on a few of their models. The new Maruti Suzuki Swift Diesel already has a multi-jet diesel engine. Labels: car engine, Fiat, maruti swift diesel
Thursday, 21 February 2008
Free petrol for one new Tata car
Car manufacturers are coming up with new ideas to attract new buyers. Now, can you imagine a car manufacturer offering free petrol as an incentive? But that is exactly what Tata Motors had announced. The company has tied up with Hindustan Petroleum to offer free fuel worth upto Rs. 20,000 to all new buyers of Tata Indica and selected models of Indigo and Fiat cars. But this offer is limited only to people living in Delhi and the surrounding region. I never thought such a day would dawn in India when petrol is offered free with every car buy. Sounds like a line from an advertisement, but it’s a fact. I wish the same scheme was extended to Lucknow too. From Tata Roadie Labels: Buy Car, car incentive, Fiat, New Car, Petrol, Tata
Tuesday, 22 January 2008
Nano to repeat the history of Fiat 500
In recent days, I am only hearing about the Nano as the first small car to hit the auto market in the world. How can it be called the first small car when Fiat had already launched such type of a small car long back? Going down memory lane, one of the biggest auto manufacturing companies, Fiat, tried its luck in making the world’s first small car and had launched the “Fiat 500” with much fan fare in 1957. This car had created so much flutter in the auto industry, especially in the European market, that within a span of a few months after launching this small car, the sale of two-wheeler had come down drastically in Europe. Most families opted for Fiat 500 and it has still remained as the first choice for many people opting for small cars in Europe. As far as the Nano is concerned, it should not be called the first small car ever made in the world with people in mind. However, it might be the first car in the world to hit the roads with as low as a Rs 1 Lakh tag. The Nano can be credited and labeled as the first 1 lakh car in the world not as the first small car in the world. At first sight, the Nano looks like a replica of the Fiat 500. The shadow of the Fiat 500 can be noted in various parts of the Nano. In terms of design, style, a rear-end engine, and fuel efficiency, one cannot see much changes between the two cars. Nano is undoubtedly the pride of the Indian auto industry and it will definitely become an integral part in shaping India's car market history.
Article Submitted by N Vishnuprathap
Labels: Auto market competition, Fiat, Small cars market in India, Tata
Thursday, 27 December 2007
New models from Fiat - a treat for die hard fans
All Fiat fans who were forced to opt for other cars have a reason to cheer. Fiat is back! This time with newer and even better models. We hear that the decade old Ranjangaon plant near Pune is finally humming with activity as the Italian car major is pushing through a major expansion programme. This will be a decisive comeback for Fiat. In the next 2 years, Fiat wants to roll out seven new cars from its global portfolio. New releases will include Fiat’s European best seller - the 2-door Cinquecento, the much read about sedan Linea and even the world famous Ferrari. The Fiat service network that used to be about a decade ago is now non-existent. The company will revamp its sales and service network entirely. This move should certainly get the crowd going. Reports suggest that the Pune plant is presently making two versions of the Palio and come February, a third version will be added. The new Palio will be powered by the highly acclaimed 1.3 Multijet engine which currently does duty in the award winning Maruti Swift DDiS. We expect a price tag of around Rs 4.5 lakh on the new model. Labels: Ferrari, Fiat, Italian car, New launch, Palio
Thursday, 20 December 2007
Fiat’s back in India
Fiat is coming back and with a bang! The company has lined up seven launches spread across 24 months. The company has re-started production in its plant in Ranjangaon, Pune. The releases over the next two years will be the popular European two-door CBU Cinquecento, the best seller Linea saloon, 5-door Bravo, Palio diesel version, Grande Punto, Alfa Romeo, and the best known sports car Ferrari. At one time India had known only two car makers-Ambassador and Fiat.The flood of new cars almost drove the two auto companies off the roads. It will be a treat to the eyes to see so many Fiats’ rolling over the Indian roads again. Fiat has decided to push its products by combining old goodwill with an aggressive approach. Labels: Ambassador, European, Ferrari, Fiat, Launches, Palio
Friday, 7 December 2007
Fiat 500 wins award
The Fiat 500 won the car of the year award for 2008. Fiat is the only automobile manufacturer in the world that has won the coveted European Car of the Year award nine times. It was voted the best by a large contingent of 58 journalists from 22 European countries. The 500 was voted ahead of the Ford Mazda II and Ford Mondeo. It is Italy’s national icon, with the original 1957 version selling close to four million units, until it was phased out in 1975. After its re-launch, Fiat decided to regain its coveted place in the European car market and is offering the largest possible offer of 500,000 different ways to configure the car with its myriad options. It is also offering the electric fragrance diffuser for those who love the smell of fresh morning air in the cabin. The available engines include a 1.3-litre multi-jet diesel that churns out 74 bhp (which also powers the Swift diesel in India) and two types of petrol: a 1.2-litre that produces 68 bhp and a 1.4-litre that generates 100 bhp. Fiat comes with a five-star safety rating and is packed with the latest safety equipments including an ABS with electronic stability program. The interiors have a funky design with high quality elements and a digital instrumental panel. India operations: As far as Fiat India’s plans go, the company plans to turn India into a centre for its Asia operations. Indians have a long association with Fiat, but will have to wait for sometime longer for the Fiat 500 compact car to tread on Indian roads. Labels: auto show expo, Award winning car, Compact cars, Driving imported cars, Fiat, Ford, Foreign cars
Tuesday, 4 December 2007
159 to flag-off Alfa Romeo in India
It’s a luxury-branded world we live in. Thanks to Google, I’ve got a leak on what Alfa Romeo in India will look like. Iconic, that is the perfect word suited for Alfa in India. I had never seen one of these before so I thought of googling it up more. Really wide, pretty low, and very sporty. It’s rare that we come across some great sporty cars in India. It is interesting in the fact that Alfa will bring a new face for Fiat in India. There are some nice details about Alfa Romeo. Alfa is a car that can compete head-on with the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class and the Audi A4 in India. The exterior is pretty sweet. The unique grille housed between the jewel shaped headlight offers something we will have to wait for. And the news is that Alfa Romeo 159 will be the mainstay of the brand in the Indian market. Surprisingly the 159 has been Alfa’s most successful compact saloon in recent times. Alfa look forward to price it competitively against the locally-assembled Mercs and BMWs. Alfa will certainly sell up to par with a price that of BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class. However, sources say Alfa 159 should be launched with an entry price of Rs. 28 Lakh. I think sales will heavily depend on Indian road conditions and the company’s service back-up. Article Submitted by Suresh RaoLabels: Audi, BMW, Car market competition, Compact luxury sedans, Fiat, Mercedes-Benz, New Car, New launch
Tuesday, 20 November 2007
KA or Mazda2?
Indians love their small cars. In India small cars go well with the urban living conditions. Fulfilling the growing demands for small cars, Ford in collaboration with Mazda wants to launch a small car in India. However, Ford is still confused about the appropriate model for India. The options it is considering are KA and Mazda2. As the story goes, Ford is considering plans to import the Mazda2 kit from Thailand. Rumors say if it is the Mazda2, Ford will either use the existing Ikon or Fiesta platforms. The new KA is expected to roll out in Europe next year under the Fiat-Ford signature. Fiat’s 500 made under the platform of KA has formally launched recently. Mazda2 got more Wows when it was formally previewed at the Geneva motor show than the Honda Jazz and Fit. From Fords new plans, we can expect either the KA or Mazda2 or both swarming on Indian roads soon. Labels: Fiat, Ford, Honda, Imported cars, Mazda, New launch, Small cars market in India
Tuesday, 13 November 2007
Small car launch by Fiat-Tata |
