SCOOP! Fiat Punto Facelift coming

[dr_nishu 198]

This is the first facelift Punto will get after its June 2009 launch. The new version called the Evo will come with completely reworked bumpers, a new grille with a chrome strip, and small tweaks to the headlamp cluster with a frosted finish and new foglamps. The alloys will be new but besides that there are no changes to the car

[GOLF 0]

This face lifted Punto  is selling in Europe for more than one year and I don't think the interior will be refreshed in Indian Punto due to cost involved.Maybe face lift will be limited to exterior only.

Anyways, The Punto Evo looks good but has lost some of its charm.Definitely thumbs up from my side.

[grpanesar 0]

Evo is available in Europe for more than a year now. They should not change the exteriors of current punto in India instead should change the interiors only. IMO, whether Palio or Punto, the original design has been the best and any face lift of exteriors has only deteriorated the looks.

To maintain the quality they should do the following to the RHD Punto available in UK:

1. Better AC (which they have already done)

2. Suspension and G.C. as per Indian roads (already mastered)

3. No tinkering with any of the materials specifications or drawings to maintain fit & finish intact and to keep niggling issues in check.

4. Striping off various features to match various variants of swift, both feature-wise as well as price wise.

[ashikawa 2]

@dr_nishu: nice topic would like to add more information

[Anand Sivaraj 0]

Guys FIAT Punto evo's dimension is

Dimensions (L x W x H)

(4065 x 1687 x 1490)mm

Wheelbase

2,510mm.

So is Fiat really bringing Evo to India. if so then will there be some cosmetic changes in the exterior to bring it under 4mts to get the small car tax exemption in india.

[creativebala 178]

Even the mini Masareti Punto is longer than 4M outside India, Fiat shaved its back to make it.

[itssanguine 0]

Due to reason mentioned above, I have a feeling that new rear bumper may not make it to Indian Punto Evo. But interiors are definitely required. Hope Fiat India will not increase the price.

Just for info: Punto 1.4 Emotion has been discontinued. Only Emotion Pk is available.

[dr_nishu 198]

Even the mini Masareti Punto is longer than 4M outside India' date=' Fiat shaved its back to make it.[/quote']

 

Not only Rear, Fiat have shaved its front bumper also due to which the snout of Indian Punto is somewhat smaller than its European version.

But i'm still doubtful about these Racy(Black-Plum) Interiors for India, instead of it seems that Linea's Black-Beige interiors probably come here.

[grpanesar 0]

Original Grande Punto's length was 4030mm. So shaving 30mm was rather easier. If they bring Evo's exteriors, shaving those extra 65mm may be a bit difficult without distorting the looks.

[creativebala 178]

@gr

Thanks for the info, atleast this could stop fiat in retaining the mini maserati looks and the changes can be confined to interiors.

Fiat should launch the turbo charged petrols and variomatic diesels across variants.

creativebala2011-05-24 10:15:30

[itssanguine 0]

If Fiat decides to bring new Punto Evo with new interior & exterior as shown in pictures, then marketing guys at Fiat India will get an opportunity to resurrect themselves and undo the past mistake made during launch of Punto.

Marketing promotion of Punto was very confusing and without any clear cut strategy to highlight its USP. In the initial slow moving ad featuring Yuvraj Singh, Punto was never made the star it could have been.

Now with Punto going steady at around 1000 mark, Fiat could borrow a trick from Maruti Suzuki's strategy with WagonR. When WagonR was struggling during 2004-05, MSIL started a new ad campaign for WagonR. They highlighted that WagonR is a kind of niche product and used by special people with special taste. (remember the ad: "He argues sharply at courtroom, plays Jazz and drives WagonR).

Fiat too can portray that Punto is not a run of the mill product and meant for special people with special preference. People who are

1.Extravagant,

2.Possess out of the box thinking,

3.Drives car for pleasure and

4.Prefers heart over head.

And why he should drive Fiat Punto Evo: because it is:

1. Very very beautiful

2. Modern with state of art interior.

3. Possesses most powerful diesel engine & very powerful petrol engine in the segment.

4. Best ride & handling.

5. Smart choice as it offers best service interval with extended warranty backed by roadside support.

However key thing should be to portray Punto as the real star during the ad campaign rather than using some celebrity. Punto's beautiful exterior & interior along with its features and dynamics should be amply highlighted.

Fiat should also portray Punto Evo as all new car to loose some baggage of present Punto : specially issues of poor interior plastic quality. If Mahindra can relaunch Logan as Verito with some chrome job then why Fiat can not project Punto Evo as all new car specially when it contains a new interior and modified front bumper/grill.

[dr_nishu 198]

Fiat Grande Punto facelift coming in 2012

Wednesday, May 25, 2011 4:09 PM by CarWale Team.

Rumours have been floating around of the Fiat Grande Punto getting a mid-life facelift. It is being said that the Grande Punto will sport the new Evo front grille and design and there will changes on the inside as well. 

After speaking to one of our sources, it has been confirmed that the Grande Punto facelift will be out sometime in late 2012 or early 2013. The changes that will be made on the car haven

[CYRUS43 0]

Thats sad. We were thinking of getting the Punto soon... I guess we will wait, or get something else. Maybe the T-Jet Linea!!

[Sulochana Bhagi 0]

Post deleted: OT.

BornFree2011-06-11 18:24:53

[Durango Dude 2]

Punto in EVO guise does look extremely attractive. If the engines also get an upgrade along with the exterior, it will be a heady cocktail, which buyers may find hard to resist. Better after sales from Fiat Tata would be an added advantage. The side profile looks like the Silver Budget with which to kill a vampire: absolutely exotic.

[tejasmehta990 4]

Along with Punto Evo Fiat should introduce UNO or similar VFM hatch such as Panda to attract more people in their showroom. Currently Fiat's line-up is not that attractive to burn the sales charts even if they introduce Punto Evo.

Fiat seems more focusing on selling their engines than cars.

[Sandy 1]

Fiat confirms new small car for india:

The new car will be positioned below the Punto and will sell at a price which could make look competitive with the i10s and the Swifts of the world. The Punto, even after being a terrific product, retails for a premium over the regulation hatchbacks reducing its appeal significantly.

To overcome the problem, Fiat is developing a band new small car, tailor made for India. Some Italian designers and engineers are burning the midnight oil designing and developing the new car for India, based on the inputs from the company

[Anand Sivaraj 0]

Fiat Punto Evo Gets A Facelift

When the Fiat Grande Punto was launched in 2005, it turned around the

Italian automakers fortune completely. At the Frankfurt Motor Show in

2009, the company launched the Punto Evo, the first facelift of the

Grande Punto. Two years later and the company is all set to launch a

facelift of the Punto Evo at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show. But what

are the changes made to the Punto Evo? At the front, the headlights

have become slightly bigger, the chrome on the bonnet disappears and a

new bumper now incorporates a new honeycomb grille. At the side, the

alloy wheels have been changed and now sport 14-spokes (earlier model

had 12-spokes). The rear has very little changes with slight changes in

bumper and tail lights.

Step inside and the only thing you will notice is the all black

interiors. There are very little changes on the dashboard but Fiat is

now offering two new engines on the Punto. The 1.3-liter Multijet has

been tweaked to boost power to 85 bhp (from 75 bhp). Fiat Powertrain

Technologies has incorporated variable oil pump and intelligent

alternator boosting fuel efficiency to 28 kmpl. The Punto also gets the

latest tech MultiAir petrol engine. The 900 cc motor is a twin-cylinder

unit using a turbocharger to produce 85 BHP of power and 145 Nm of

torque. A 6-speed manual gearbox is mated to this engine offering good

three digit cursing ability to the Punto. Fiat does plan to get the

Punto Evo to India, but if they get the old version, it will be such a

pity, sigh. Meanwhile checkout the differences between the old Punto Evo

and the new below (the 1st picture is the new model).

Source:MotorBeam.com

[Anand Sivaraj 0]

Punto after its launch(2005) globally gets its 2nd facelift, but in India still we've the 2005 model. Despite having good looking cars and world class Engines, even after the poor sales chart Fiat India has not taken any step to improve. But, FIAT-TATA Jv is fruitful to Tata by using all the Fiat power trains.

[dr_nishu 198]

New Punto facelift pics;

(as the above pasted one aren't actually visible)

IMHO, This suits better to the Maserati-based original 2005 Punto & the grille is more symmetrical, evenly distributed to the front bumper than the previous Gen-Punto evo.

Fiat India needs to bring this face-lift to India than to bring in the worn out Press dyes of Evo-I.

[Durango Dude 2]

You can bring a thousand face lifts but unless your attitude towards customers changes for the better you are going no where. follow this link to read about the woes of a buyer who wanted to get a Linea.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-dealerships/106962-fiat-struggles-sell-buyer-struggles-buy-fiat-well.html

There is also a rumor that Fiat has stopped production of Linea because they are saddled with so many cars still unsold.Durango Dude2011-09-02 03:30:13

[Sstar 77]

You can bring a thousand face lifts but unless your attitude towards customers changes for the better you are going no where. follow this link to read about the woes of a buyer who wanted to get a Linea.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-dealerships/106962-fiat-struggles-sell-buyer-struggles-buy-fiat-well.html
There is also a rumor that Fiat has stopped production of Linea because they are saddled with so many cars still unsold.

 

This is extremely sad news (if it is true) as people who love FIAT for its Europian styling and solid build will surely miss the Admiration from Linea now

[scottzinne 0]

Before launch of any new product , they should improve service issue. Everyone know FIAT makes a very good car, but they are worst in service. Spare part problems, poor quality of service.

There is no point of launching new PUNTO, till they didn't resolve it service issue. current punto is a good product , but only thing which kept customers away from buying is loosing peace of mind when giving their beloved car for service.

FIAT should develop this confidence in customers that they handed over their car to right place for service. They don't need to worry.

If FIAT doesn't improve their service than they should remain in grave with linea, punto, palio & die slowly.

[dr_nishu 198]

Refresh FIAT Punto/Linea launch on Jan 3, 2012:

Fiat India said that the study for introducing Bravo in India showed that it isn

[Durango Dude 2]

It's not a refresh; Fiat is restarting it's production of the Linea which it had stopped for clearing the piled up inventory.