Nagesh Basavnhalli, President and MD, Fiat Chrysler India speaks about the newly showcased Fiat Avventura, Linea and tells us more about the Jeep brand too. Read further, to understand what Fiat will be offering in the next future. The company will be launching the Linea and Punto MY’14, the new Abarth 500 and also the Fiat Avventura— which is the new crossover from the Italian manufacturer— in 2014.
Q1) Tell us about the Fiat Avventura?
Ans) What was special for the Avventura was that we went to the customers, the younger audience especially. What we liked is that what they preferred was a car that is easy to park with small turning radius, high ground clearance as it have a ground clearance more than 200mm, spacious and feature-loaded vehicles. This is what they need, not just on weekends but even on weekends too. For weekends it is more of adventure and exploring. A drive to some weekend getaway to somewhere like Lonavala. The Avventura targets the young, hard-working busy individuals who expects the vehicle to also perform like him/her. We call this vehicle, the CUV (Contemporary Urban Vehicle). Now, after this showcase, several other countries are asking for this product for their market.
Q2) Is there a number that you are looking at manufacturing for the Avventura?
Ans) I can’t put a number to this, but yes it depends on the market and looking at the reaction, we are optimistic.
Q3) When can expect the Jeeps that were expected to be launched by last year end?
Ans) Jeep was supposed to launched in India around this time, but now the plans have been postponed for a while. We are committed to India as a brand and we want to ensure that it is always the correct time for each product that we introduce. Our market research shows that the market has slowed down and we will have to do some waiting before we decide on introducing the new brand. When you are introducing an iconic brand like Jeep, you want to ensure that you are looking at the long-term picture and introduce it when the timing is right. Now, we just have to sit back and the situation to improve.
Q4) Is the 1.6-litre multijet to seen this year on the new Linea or we will have some more wait?
Ans) We had mentioned of a probability of showcasing the new Linea with the 1.6-litre multijet, but at the moment there no such plans. Fiat Linea MY14 will not get the new engine. We have heavily upgraded the Linea and it is loaded with several new features too.
Q5) Which is the most important market for Fiat, apart from NCR?
Ans) We are strongest in North India, but South and West is where is our footprint growing faster. The south especially is growing strong. The Bangalore Fiat Caffe is unique and the sales are going strong too.
Q6) What is the production capacity like?
Ans) We share the manufacturing facility with Tata. The JV for manufacturing is still on, it is only the dealerships, marketing and sales that has separated. At the moment, the plant ins’t running in full capacity.
Source : CarDekho - Fiat Avventura will have a ground clearance in excess of 200mm
