After parting ways with Tata Motors, Fiat is going solo in the Indian market and have some aggressive strategies planned for the near future as well as their long term run in our country. For the time being, the carmaker is working hard towards setting up a customer base in India. Recently, Fiat India has launched a cut price version of the Linea sedan, termed as Linea Classic to reach a wider set of audience. Fiat is also making efforts to improve the after sales for better user experience and once they touch 100 dealerships across India, they’ll gradually start rolling out new range of cars starting from this year itself.
We all are aware about the fact that Fiat is all set to introduce the Jeep brand in India. By the end of this year, the Jeep brand will be launched starting from the Jeep Wrangler SUV. The serious off-roader will be imported via the CBU route initially, with an expected starting price of Rs. 25 lakhs. Next up will be the Fiat Linea facelift, which will hit showrooms in early 2014. The upcoming offering is undergoing road tests at present. The Fiat Linea facelift will be having slight changes on the exteriors but all new interiors. The updated mechanicals will include a more powerful 1.6-litre Multijet diesel engine.
Coming back to the Jeep brand, you will also witness the launch of the Jeep Grand Cherokee premium SUV in 2014. The Grand Cherokee is a sophisticated looking mature SUV, which is well-equipped with high tech gadgetry and is a capable off-roader as well. It will be imported via the CBU route as well. It will be priced around Rs. 40 lakhs. Next in line is the performance oriented Punto, which is well known as Fiat Abarth Punto that is expected to launch in 2014 itself. It will be powered by a 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine and treated with sporty exteriors and interiors, targeted at enthusiasts. Pricing is expected to be around Rs. 10-12 lakhs.
After introducing the Linea facelift in 2014, Fiat will also launch a facelift for the Punto that will also come with updated styling inside out and an added list of features. You can expect some mechanical changes as well as improved performance. In 2015, Jeep will launch a compact SUV based on the Fiat 500X platform to compete with the likes of the Ford EcoSport and Renault Duster. The Jeep B-SUV will be manufactured locally in India at Fiat’s Ranjangaon plant. Fiat will also introduce a similar compact SUV sharing parts with the baby Jeep in 2015.
2016 is when Jeep will introduce a grown up SUV for India, produced locally with both petrol and diesel engine options. The Jeep C-SUV is expected to compete with the likes of the Tata Safari Storme, Mahindra Scorpio and Mahindra XUV500. It is the same time, when Tata Motors is expected to launch an SUV developed with heavy inputs from Land Rover. Tata Motors would launch the all new SUV in the price bracket of Rs. 10-15 lakhs. All in all, the Fiat brand looks promising to increase volumes in almost every segment in the Indian car market, with SUVs leading the charge.
