Is your next car a Fiat?

PITSTOP

Have you seen the Fiat Panda? It is telling proof that Fiat is one of the world's best small car manufacturers. It has got cheerful looks, is practical, economical and, from what we hear, is rather well built.

Like the good old Uno in the early eighties, the Panda is helping Fiat recover its lost volumes in Europe, and if things go well, the Italian giant might just bounce back into the black.

Now will it come to India? The answer is not clear yet since customer clinics proved that being a smaller car, the Panda needs to be aggressively priced to take on the likes of the Hyundai Getz and the all-conquering Suzuki Swift.

Fiat India sources did not rule out the possibility of a suitably engineered Panda though, built from the greenfield facility at Ranjangaon.

It could be powered by a, surprise, surprise, Maruti-built 1248cc Multijet common-rail diesel unit (co-developed by GM and Fiat), localised by the latter for the Swift application. This 70 bhp motor was voted the Engine of the Year in its class, and can be a big hit, since it can stretch a litre to 18 kpl easily.

Fiat also showed the Idea mono-box in its clinics, but this Punto-based family-mover may not be a big hit, going by the cold reception received by the Ford Fusion in India. The Idea can also be propelled by the above-mentioned diesel motor or the bigger 1600cc petrol unit.

All this new model talk can be of no use unless Fiat India gets over its current problems, which includes huge losses accumulated from the Fiat Uno days and sprucing up its sales and service setup "� which can arguably be termed the worst for any car maker in the country today.

Dr Paolo Castagna, the tough talking new managing director of Fiat India Private Limited told BSM that indeed that is his first priority. Talks were on with the Hinduja Group (Fiat's subsidiary Iveco owns 30 per cent of Hinduja-run Ashok Leyland) to lend some support to Fiat in this area.

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne caused a stir when he caught up with none other than Ratan Tata while on a low profile visit to the country a few months back. Will we get to see an Indigo powered by a Fiat engine sharing showroom space with a spanking new Panda? Well, you can't rule out anything today, can you?