FIAT's come back. good or bad

[hanz blix]

how do you guys think the new punto will fair in australia. i think its styling is pretty good, but the engines are a bit pissy. what do use reckon

[hanz blix]

oh yeh and prices will start at around 20k

[TVR IS KING]

They say Fiats bad name wont be remembered..but I look down on Fiats and I wasnt even around last time they tried this.
Also..Australians like powerful engines
Does that give my answer?

[fpv_gtho]

More the merrier. That categories got the most cars in it in the whole country

[Blue Supra]

Originally Posted by TVR IS KING

Also..Australians like powerful engines
Does that give my answer?

ive seen fiats beat porsches...

theyre not not slow.

although they werent puntos

yeh why not, give em a go and see what happens

[TVR IS KING]

Originally Posted by Blue Supra

although they werent puntos

Ha. I reckon.

Im not opposed to giving them a go, I like the Punto. But I dont reckon itll do too great.

[SlickHolden]

Didn't know Fiat was here or gone or coming?

[Blue Supra]

itll be interesting, who are the selling under with just one model?

[SlickHolden]

who owns Fiat?

[fpv_gtho]

They own themselves, but they own alot of other Italian manufacturers like Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Maserati. GM wanted to buy them a few years ago, in a deal that i thought had them arranged to pay the bulk of the money just recently, but GM wanted to get out of it after they made the deal and it cost them something like $US2b. Its a major factor in their recent dive in fortunes.

[fpv_gtho]

Originally Posted by Blue Supra

itll be interesting, who are the selling under with just one model?

It looks like they'll be selling the Punto alongside their commercial range

http://fiat.com.au/

[Blue Supra]

i dont know if there is a fiat commercial dealer in canberra

[IBrake4Rainbows]

Somewhere in Fyshwick there is, I'm sure of it as i've seen Ducato's around town.

[nota]

Originally Posted by hanz blix

how do you guys think the new punto will fair in australia. i think its styling is pretty good, but the engines are a bit pissy. what do use reckon

I reckon it'll fare about as fairly as Seat did. Which is to say not so good, as Seat ended up on welfare

Renault is another euro to struggle in this country, despite expending their comparitively huge advertising budget. It's a pity because Clio is a great product, but in the small car segment people end up buying with their wallets not with their hearts - as Holden have recently proven with the Korean Barina

I agree about the engines. At those prices Punto needs a substantial product differentiator (like above-average performance from an unusually 'big' engine) to be noticed in our crowded market and existing Fiat brand-recognition is either zero or negative - depending on the length of your memory

[SlickHolden]

Originally Posted by fpv_gtho

They own themselves, but they own alot of other Italian manufacturers like Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Maserati. GM wanted to buy them a few years ago, in a deal that i thought had them arranged to pay the bulk of the money just recently, but GM wanted to get out of it after they made the deal and it cost them something like $USb. Its a major factor in their recent dive in fortunes.

Good old GM, Maybe they could sell under Alfa? Doesnt Holden supply Alfa with a 3.2LT engine? Yeah they do. They got some good go and sound from it to.