Fiat India’s CEO Mr.Rajeev Kapoor spoke to IndianAutosBlog.com at the Fiat Caffe unveiling in Janpat, New Delhi. He was not very forthcoming about future products but his answer was filled with clues on the upcoming car that is going to be positioned in the high volume segment.
Rajeev Kapoor to IndianAutosBlog.com -
You see any product that is coming to India now by us or any other manufacturer has to be very India specific because, India is turning out to be a predominant diesel market. Any car which comes to India has to very India centric because they have to address specific needs that the customers want. So yes we’ve been working on a car. The market has been evolving for us in the sense that in the last two years we’ve been trying to focus on these two cars (Punto and Linea), we got some good learning from launching these cars from our customers, like battery, AC etc, so we said we need to sit down and perfect those first. So in the coming future you will see a car from Fiat. That car could be on any available platform of Fiat. That’s not an issue. You have seen Panda, Uno, 500, this car could be on any platform but it should be suitable for India..so the work is going on and at the right time we’ll let you know!
Mr Kapoor insisted that Fiat’s new car is an India specific model and the focus this year is on the Punto and Linea. The Uno, Palio and Panda are not India specific cars. They have been designed and developed for South American and some European markets where those nameplates are heavyweights. The small car for India is likely to come out next year.
Financial Express reports that Fiat India has postponed its plans to introduce a small car to 2013-14. This comes on the heels of Fiat’s announcement to retail cars out of stand-alone dealerships operated by Tata Motors dealers who currently sell Fiat and Tata’s passenger vehicles under the same roof.
Fiat is working out a new brand strategy and will refresh the Punto and Linea next year. Earlier this year Fiat said its product portfolio will remain same in 2011. It said talks are on with the Italian headquarters to bring down a CBU model.
Fiat displayed a new Punto at the Frankfurt Motor Show but India could get the outgoing “Evo” model shown above. Similarly the Linea facelift is expected to follow as soon as one is available internationally.
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As Fiat’s tries hard to make its presence felt in the Indian Market, news comes in that the new small car is expected to make its debut by the middle of 2012. We have shown you a few renderings in the past about this car. But now some official information has trickled in.
The car will sport a 1 litre engine and not the 900cc Twin-Air like we reported earlier. The mini car will have the same configuration as the Maruti Wagon R and the Hyundai i10. The car will be priced below 4 lakh rupees.
Rajeev Kapoor, CEO Fiat India -
If you look at competition, their numbers have gone up only because of the small cars. A car like that is a volume car. One may not get any money out of it, but it gives your brand the much required exposure and visibility in the market
The company also has plans to launch a new Fiat 500 with Bharat Stage IV engine sometime this year. Don’t expect wonders because at 15 lakhs a pop Fiat barely manages to sell one Fiat 500 every month.
Kapoor adds -
We hope the utilization of our plant in Ranjangaon goes up this year because we are working on a lot of different projects. The more we utilize, the better would be the profitability. We are going to do about 60 per cent this year
Let’s hope Fiat gets its act right this time 
By Kaustubh Shinde
These days everyone wants to make a small car. If you don’t have a small car under your portfolio, you are nobody in the auto market.
A similar ambition has been undertaken by Fiat as the top boss Mr. Rajeev Kapoor earlier announced about an Alto competitor in works for 2012. In his speech he 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 new car will be an India-specific one, made in India, made for India, keeping in mind the country’s unique terrain and temperatures. Our R&D team is working day in and day out to develop the car that meets consumers’ needs in the best manner. The small car market in India is blazing and there is intense competition. The entry level car space excites us”
We are guessing this new model will borrow design cues from the new Uno, Punto and Panda. We can bet a million bucks that Fiat will drop a 900 cc Twin Air petrol motor under the bonnet. May be the higher variants will come with a 1L or a 1.2L engine including the 1.3-liter multi-jet diesel.
We have also spoken about the Project 326 which is the Palio revival, which Brazilian engineers are working on as we speak. Since we lack enough information on the India small car, we sense there is a possibility of the two being related, perhaps both are the same car.
Taking on the kingpin – The Maruti Alto is a tall order. After all, it has been the best seller since the dawn of time. Fiat engineers clearly have the work cut out for them.
Best of luck to you Fiat!
The new small car from Fiat could have Multiair technology and beautiful look
Rajeev Kapoor, CEO of Fiat India during the launch of new Punto variants today has revealed that the company is not developing a new platform for its small car scheduled for 2012.
Speaking to reporters here in Mumbai, Kapoor said the company is relying on existing platforms (for eg – new Uno, 500) to bring out the small car which is at least two years away.
Another bit of information that’s come out today is that the new car could have Fiat’s Multiair technology fitted to its engine which leads to fewer emissions and higher fuel economy.
During the Auto Expo earlier in the year, Kapoor said the new small car will have nothing to do with the Topolino brand of compacts developed for Europe.
SRK’s version of the compact car hints at heavy dependence on existing models
Scheduled for a 2012 release, Fiat’s new small car will be placed under the Palio in the company’s Indian portfolio. It could be the company’s entry-level car in other markets.
While we don’t know about the platform and if Tata will utilize the mechanicals for their cars, we do know that the car will be compact and styled in Italy. Fiat India CEO Mr.Rajeev Kapoor told IAB during the Auto Expo that the designs of this small car were yet to be finalized. He did not divulge any information on the model letting us speculate as much as we could!
Another interesting development is the introduction of the 2-cylinder engine by Fiat at the on-going Geneva Motor Show. The 900cc 8V Twin-Air engine will also be offered in the naturally aspirated form. Producing 64bhp, it looks like an apt motor for the new small car.
click through for high resolution image
We have spoken enough of the 2010 Fiat Uno and the possibility of Fiat making use of the Ranjangoan facility to manufacture it. Fiat could follow Maruti’s footsteps by selling this car with a different name despite it being a modern Fiat Uno.
Fiat‘s trying to get a hold in the Indian market and with the positive response it received with the Linea, it is definitely getting there. The Grande Punto should accelerate progress and small cars such as this Uno will reach India eventually.
click through for the renderings
We’ve been featuring a string of Fiat small cars over the last few months, and among them is the Fiat Topolino, here rendered by a Greek auto magazine.
The Fiat Topolino is one of many small cars developed by Fiat for the world that is under threat by recession and oil prices. Initially there were rumors of involvement of Tata Motors, but there has been no confirmation from either sides. Fiat could build this car in India and export it to Europe. That could be a possibility.
The Topolino will be the size of the Smart Fortwo and Toyota iQ. It will be powered using a 900cc engine and will be priced close to the Fiat Panda.
Source- Autotriti Greece
Fiat India’s CEO Mr.Rajeev Kapoor spoke to IndianAutosBlog.com at the Fiat Caffe unveiling in Janpat, New Delhi. He was not very forthcoming about future products but his answer was filled with clues on the upcoming car that is going to be positioned in the high volume segment.
