General Marchione: Panda range has "expansion potential" for larger model
- Thread starter jamesbrownontheroad
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General Marchione: Panda range has "expansion potential" for larger model
Interesting stuff!
Well, a larger Panda in whatever form that may be could be an intriguing prospect. However it would have to be priced keenly; I'm still not sure whether the 500L is pricey or not, but one thing I do know is that I can't afford one!
Sharing parts with Jeep etc doesn't surprise me though, you would imagine that will help to cut costs.
As for a rival to the Qashqai, well it wouldn't have to be all that good to be much better than that ugly beast eh!
Well, a larger Panda in whatever form that may be could be an intriguing prospect. However it would have to be priced keenly; I'm still not sure whether the 500L is pricey or not, but one thing I do know is that I can't afford one!
Sharing parts with Jeep etc doesn't surprise me though, you would imagine that will help to cut costs.
As for a rival to the Qashqai, well it wouldn't have to be all that good to be much better than that ugly beast eh!
babbo_umbro
Established member
I'm surprised by this, as I have some respect for Marchionne, but I think it shows a lack of any inspiration or original thinking - "Take our top selling model and try to associate another model with it, even if they don't really have anything in common." A better policy is to build really decent cars that progress a single step up or down market/size from your successful models, to benefit from their ability to draw people to the marque, rather than expecting people to be so stupid that they can't tell a 500 from a 500L, for instance. Make decent cars, market, sell and service them well and people will buy them; play superficial marketing games, and adopt gimmicks like special editions as soon as a model's sales flag, rather than developing a worthy successor, and you do not deserve to succeed.
End of (moderate) rant.
End of (moderate) rant.
pilgrim42
New member
Interesting stuff!
Well, a larger Panda in whatever form that may be could be an intriguing prospect. However it would have to be priced keenly; I'm still not sure whether the 500L is pricey or not, but one thing I do know is that I can't afford one!
Sharing parts with Jeep etc doesn't surprise me though, you would imagine that will help to cut costs.
As for a rival to the Qashqai, well it wouldn't have to be all that good to be much better than that ugly beast eh!
I think naming it the 500L is confusing to Joe Public: the one I stood next to in the showroom didn't remind me of the 500 - it had some distinctly Mini aspects from certain angles - but it looked much bigger than I had imagined and having two such disparate models with the same root name seems daft to me.
Mike
Any Panda that is built to compete with bigger cars won't be a Panda. No more than the 500L is a 500.
I'm afraid this is just playing with names, not DNA as Marchionne suggests.
I agree with Babbo, just build good cars that people want.
The Bravo failed because it had too many design faults that the public simply would not accept - poor rear room and a terrible driving position spring to mind. Ditto the Croma with its awful handbrake positioning. If Fiat would just go the extra mile when designing cars they could sweep the board, but unfortunately they do things like make a new 500L with terrible rear headroom when ordered with the glass roof, a possibly compromised driving positioon for RHD markets (note to self - wait and see!), and nowhere handy to hide a mobile phone when it is connected to a USB. Small - I wonder? - things perhaps, but they notice, and rivals are arriving with chilled glove boxes and other practical amenities that can be very useful.
Actually, I'm getting fed up with just hearing anbout the 500, as I did with the Mini, and I'd hate the Panda name to go fashionable and leave its core market behind.
Renault has just launched the very pretty? new Clio based SUV (forgotten the name, you know what it is) and the rest are all jumping on that bandwagon too. The 500X looks like nothing special, and will come late, so I'm still not convinced by Marchionne's plans I'm afraid.
But. Perhaps the core Fiat market is intended to be addressed in future by a low cost brand, allowing Fiat to rise upmarket? Mmmmm?????
I'm afraid this is just playing with names, not DNA as Marchionne suggests.
I agree with Babbo, just build good cars that people want.
The Bravo failed because it had too many design faults that the public simply would not accept - poor rear room and a terrible driving position spring to mind. Ditto the Croma with its awful handbrake positioning. If Fiat would just go the extra mile when designing cars they could sweep the board, but unfortunately they do things like make a new 500L with terrible rear headroom when ordered with the glass roof, a possibly compromised driving positioon for RHD markets (note to self - wait and see!), and nowhere handy to hide a mobile phone when it is connected to a USB. Small - I wonder? - things perhaps, but they notice, and rivals are arriving with chilled glove boxes and other practical amenities that can be very useful.
Actually, I'm getting fed up with just hearing anbout the 500, as I did with the Mini, and I'd hate the Panda name to go fashionable and leave its core market behind.
Renault has just launched the very pretty? new Clio based SUV (forgotten the name, you know what it is) and the rest are all jumping on that bandwagon too. The 500X looks like nothing special, and will come late, so I'm still not convinced by Marchionne's plans I'm afraid.
But. Perhaps the core Fiat market is intended to be addressed in future by a low cost brand, allowing Fiat to rise upmarket? Mmmmm?????
If done right, anything can be a good idea. But in the last 10 or so years the only things that Fiat have done 100% right are the Grande Punto, the 500 and the Mk3 Panda.
gar074
Prominent member
Only in the animal kingdom is a larger Panda still a Panda (and even then, we'd just call it fat).
This idea stinks. Just like the 500L stinks (have you seen one? man alive...)
This idea stinks. Just like the 500L stinks (have you seen one? man alive...)
First they rape the 500, now the 600? I'm not surprised.
