Fiat India Automobiles Ltd, the 50:50 Joint Venture between Fiat S.p.A and Tata Motors, announced that it is poised to launch both the petrol and diesel versions of the Grande Punto, a mid-size hatchback, on June 17, 2009. The company plans to launch and unveil the car at a grand ceremony to be held in New Delhi. The car is what many would consider a perfect follow up to the Linea which has already created ripples in the C plus segment. Grande Punto will roll out from the company’s state-of-the-art plant at Ranjangaon which also manufactures Fiat’s Linea and Palio.

The car designed by the ‘Car Designer of the Century’ – Giorgetto Giugiaro, has consistently done well since its launch in Europe in 2005. The Grande Punto known for its cutting edge design and robust engineering will drive to India with the numerous accolades that it has won world over. Recognitions for the car include Brazil’s ‘Carro Do anno 2008’ (Car of the Yar 2008), Autocar magazine’s coveted design award and Auto Interamericana 2008 among many others. The car also comes with the comforting 5-Star Euro Ncap safety rating which will be a factor that many buyers would want to consider. Positioned as a large two box hatch, it has been designed to represent three fundamental qualities, namely- beauty, solidity and brilliance, all coupled into a terrific car that has quintessential Italian styling. The stylish car will fall in the same segment as the Maruti Suzuki Ritz, Hyundai i20, Skoda Fabia and the to-be-launched Honda Jazz.

The company has promised to make the Grande Punto a great value proposition like the Linea through increased localisation to the extent of 85% by December 2009. The company is also working overtime to ensure that the car is supported through a robust Tata-Fiat dealer network comprising of 100 sales and service outlets by time of launch. To further enhance customer experience and strengthen after sales support for Grande Punto launch, series of initiatives have been taken which include extensive training to over 800 dealer sales & service staff. New dealer identity norms have been introduced at showrooms and workshops which meet international standards. In addition JD Power has been hired to conduct quarterly CSI/SSI survey to monitor customer satisfaction and feedback on regular intervals.

Fiat India Automobiles Ltd today entered a new chapter in India with the launch of the Linea which is expected to raise the bar for sedans available in the country. Fiat expects to redefine customer expectations through the car which rides on its success across multiple markets in the world. The numerous awards won by the car are a testimony to the satisfaction it has delivered to multitude of customers. The car designed by the Fiat Style centre in Turin will go on to become Fiat’s flagship product in India. The company announced that both the diesel & petrol version of the car are being launched.

The Linea represents a quantum leap as far as quality, safety and engineering are concerned. The car is expected to create a new sub-segment between the mid-sized cars and the luxury cars segment due to its unique design, comfortability, performance and features. Linea was first launched in Turkey & is presently sold in more than 50 countries across Europe, Asia, Central & South America and Africa. Besides Turkey, the Linea is produced in Brazil and now in India. It will also be manufactured in Russia in the near future. The launch of the Linea marks a big leap forward for Fiat in India, and embodies the company’s new philosophy in India, aimed at bringing its activities and services up to the maximum levels of performance. The recognitions for Linea include ‘AUTOBEST 2008’ in Europe which confirms the excellent welcome that it has received in that part of the world and “The Most interesting Car” at the Auto Motor Show in Katowice, Poland.

Speaking on the occasion Mr. Rajeev Kapoor, CEO, Fiat India Automobiles Ltd said, “Fiat has kept its promise of making this an exciting year for its customers. Launch of the Linea is first in the line of three launches that Fiat will undertake this year, the other two being Bravo and Grande Punto. With this car which is equipped with Fiat’s world-renowned multijet and the fire engine we hope to make inroads in the C+ segment. We have also ensured that the Linea appeals to a wide range of customers with its petrol and diesel variants and the various options available under each of them. The car has met with strong success across the world and although Linea has been designed with a strong Italian style, we have also taken into consideration local Indian taste and requirements and have incorporated this into the Indian Linea. ”

The FIRE (Fully Integrated Robotized Engine) will power the petrol version of the Linea, and the diesel version will be equipped with the Advanced New Generation MULTIJET engine. This sedan stands out in terms of original style, functionality and drivability, in addition to offering a very competitive price/content ratio. To begin with, the car will be retailed through a select 70 Tata-Fiat dealer outlets spread across the country.

The new generation multijet engine also boasts of higher peak performance with unparalleled power and torque outputs. This enables a fine balance of performance, refinement & fuel economy. Both the variants will be further supported with two option packs, one each on petrol & diesel top end variants mainly comprising of Dual Front Airbags and Blue & Me feature as standard. Blue & Me is the voice interactive device developed by Fiat along with Microsoft that offers an additional voice interface for the on board music system and can be linked to a personal mobile for communicating through the car’s audio unit & speakers.

The car will be manufactured at the Ranjangaon plant near Pune and is the first major launch after the company introduced the Palio Stile Multijet last year. The car is being launched across India through an aggressive communication campaign through Print & Television.

The three basic versions would be known as Active, Dynamic & Emotion with similar set of features for both variants. The Linea will be available in 4 colors at the time of the launch, Flamenco Red, Minimal Grey, Perla Champagne and Hip Hop Black.

The car will be competitively priced at:

The Tata-Fiat dealer network will ensure easy availability of the car and satisfactory after-sales service for its owners. The car will be retailed by Tata-Fiat dealer network providing 100 sales outlets & workshop across the country by mid-2009. Eventually, this number will be more than 125 by year end, which will provide an even stronger geographical reach for the car.

Style:

Fiat Linea bears a strong European character with an Italian lineage. Certain visible design cues like the long sloping hood merging into a protruding front grill, escorted by prominent yet stylish headlamps are normally seen only in high end sports cars. The exceptional design expertise offers Fiat Linea the most stylish exteriors that make it compete with the cars from the higher segment for being the best-looking set of wheels.

Comfort & Safety:

The great design capabilities go beyond the impressive exteriors and equip the car with a luxurious cabin designed to offer maximum comfort for the front & rear passengers. Comfortable seating with ample amount of legroom, rear hat trey with collapsible sunscreen & exclusive features like the rear knee level & foot level AC vents are some design features that makes the car an object of desire. Further, the emotion variant comes with safety features including ABS with EBD and Dual front airbags with pretensioners & load limiters on front seatbelts.

Engineering:

Fiat has had a long tradition of engineering variety of cars for all diverse automotive needs. Beginning from most popular city cars like the Uno and the Palio, to the high end sports cars like Maserati, Alfa Romeo and the professional racing champion like Ferrari, Fiat has made it all. At Fiat, we engineer the cars to meet customer expectations. With the same thought Fiat is bringing to India two of its most successful engine – 1.4 16V FIRE petrol engine & the 1.3 16V Advanced Multijet diesel. The fiat power-train manufacturing facility in Ranjangaon is at par with the best of the plants fiat has globally. With an installed capacity of over 200,000 engines & 300,000 cars it is a state of the art manufacturing facility adhering to international standards of production of cars & engines.

Countdown kick starts for Fiat Linea launch

The wait is over! Fiat Linea the winner of many coveted awards across the world is all set to rock the Indian sedan market. Linea which represents the modern face of Fiat is a C plus segment sedan which was launched internationally in May 2007 at Istanbul. Fiat India started production of the Linea at its Tata Motors-Fiat facility at Ranjangaon in November 2008. Fiat has already despatched the first batch of 100 Lineas from its plant in Ranjangaon near Pune.

Fiat Linea an elegantly functional car, with a strong Italian imprint, it will be equipped with features found in higher segment cars. The Linea has elegant proportions, with a curved rear window and stubby bootlid.Linea will be available in three variants with two engine options.

Fiat Linea which has already won hearts of Indian auto journalist and auto enthusiasts also bagged the prestigious AutoCar-UTVi 2008 COTY (Car Of The Year) winner. Gear up! to welcome style on wheels.