Fiat, a brand which is much loved and admired in the Indian market but hasn’t been able to boost its market share in spite of repeated efforts and changes in its approach. The Italian automaker has had many comings in India and is among the oldest car companies in the country today, yet it fails to get the sales volumes it has always deserved. Fiat has made huge plans for India, the company has finally set-up its own dealership network, comprising of more than 100 outlets across the length and breadth of India, yet we ask you this question, is Fiat India on the right track?
Fiat will be launching four products in India this year – Avventura crossover (which is all over the place as it’s being extensively tested, it was recently spotted by our reader Enosh Bansode), 500 Abarth (which will come via the CBU route and won’t be a volume spinner), Punto facelift (we have rendered it above and there isn’t a drastic change to the car, it continues to remain largely the same as before) and the Linea facelift (which has already been launched). Fiat has postponed plans to launch the Jeep brand in India but the American off-road company could have worked wonders in creating brand awareness about Fiat in the domestic market.
Now what is worrying is the performance of Fiat in the Indian market. Out of the four products, the one which was launched hasn’t done anything for Fiat in terms of sales volumes. Launched in March 2014, the Linea post the facelift continues to sell between 200-300 units a month. In the month of launch, sales did peak to 664 units but the overall sales performance of the Linea continues to be the same as always. Looking at this, we can’t expect much from the facelifted Punto either so it’s only the Avventura which can change Fiat’s fate in the Indian market in the near future.
