micpatcross
New member
You're right. The next Panda model will be assembled in Pomigliano D'arco, a town around Naples.
That's why I bought my new Panda now!
General Panda Active Eco 1.1
- Thread starter Hellcat
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General Panda Active Eco 1.1
You're right. The next Panda model will be assembled in Pomigliano D'arco, a town around Naples.
That's why I bought my new Panda now!
I think this shift in production is a massive mistake. Look at the state of the Grande Punto build quality compared to the Panda and 500. The Punto Evo also seems like it has the potential to be fragile going forward.
Fiat need to just sack any workers who build sloppy cars. Any more models like the Grande Punto and Fiat won't have any buyers left.
I am as big as a FIAT fan as you can get. But there is no way I would ever buy an Italian built FIAT. If they stop making the Polish built Panda buy the time I replace my 10 plate Active I am afraid my next car will be a Ford or Vauxhall unless the Tychy factory can come up with another five door design.
The main reason I bought the Panda is because it was made the Polish.
I remember my dads Punto SX MK1 from many back new it was a brilliant car but my 60k the head gasket had gone. My dads current car is 13 years old, has done 91k and still ruins perfectly. It is an essex built MK4 Fiesta Ghia.
As much went wrong with the £5k 18 month old Punto has gone wrong with the £850 9 year old (at the time) Fiesta.
My Polish built Panda so far has been perfect
T
The main reason I bought the Panda is because it was made the Polish.
I remember my dads Punto SX MK1 from many back new it was a brilliant car but my 60k the head gasket had gone. My dads current car is 13 years old, has done 91k and still ruins perfectly. It is an essex built MK4 Fiesta Ghia.
As much went wrong with the £5k 18 month old Punto has gone wrong with the £850 9 year old (at the time) Fiesta.
My Polish built Panda so far has been perfect
T
To be fair though, if Panda production is moved from Poland to Italy, the actual way the car is produced will not be any different, so quality will be the same.
babbo_umbro
Established member
Fiat are in the position that they find it impossible to get rid of unsatisfactory workers. There has been a series of strikes in the Italian factories since the summer because they tried to suspend three workers - Marco Pignatelli, Giovanni Parozzino e Antonio La Morte - who were either spending all their time doing union activities rather than making cars or were actually stopping the production line, and also blocked the delivery of materials to the Lingotto works. One of the reasons for patchy quality in the Italian works is that the lines are stopped so frequently for industrial action rather than technical reasons. There was also a strike at Termini Imerese in June, to protest at Marchionne saying that the workers there (in Sicily) had gone on strike the previous Monday so that they could watch the Italy/Paraguay football match. I suspect it's boredom as much as anything as the levels of productivity are so low, despite Fiat's leadership in automation, that many of the workers actually have nothing to do and just watch machines all day.
As tdq notes, today's highly automated production leaves less scope for variations but the places where it affects the product are in areas like mounting trim and so on that are less amenable to automating, rather than, say, assembling cylinder heads.
As tdq notes, today's highly automated production leaves less scope for variations but the places where it affects the product are in areas like mounting trim and so on that are less amenable to automating, rather than, say, assembling cylinder heads.
We choose a Panda over a C1 / 107 or Suzuki Alto.
Four doors, rear windows roll down, unlike the pop open ones on C1 etc & Suzuki Alto.
It's a joy to drive, We went from North Wales to Cardiff on Boxing day, I'm six foot & was more than comfortable for three & a half hours of A road driving. I don't need the seat right back either!
I think the 1.2 engine would be far better, its my only regret that we got the 1.1 I think the 1.2 would have paid for the extra it cost in better MPG.
Four doors, rear windows roll down, unlike the pop open ones on C1 etc & Suzuki Alto.
It's a joy to drive, We went from North Wales to Cardiff on Boxing day, I'm six foot & was more than comfortable for three & a half hours of A road driving. I don't need the seat right back either!
I think the 1.2 engine would be far better, its my only regret that we got the 1.1 I think the 1.2 would have paid for the extra it cost in better MPG.
Unfortunately i think the quality will drop unless they employ a better production system than they use on models like the Puntos. As babbo_umbro said, it's the inconsistent production line that causes problems - too much downing tools half way through a job.
I suspect production stops, re starts a while later, but people take up slightly different positions on the line & then we see the sort of mis-builds that are happenning on the Punto Evo, with cars with fog lights & air con being fitted with switches for cars without. Also with people not screwing in trim because they assume it was done by the previous worker. All this adds up & it only takes a couple of things like that to reduce the satisfaction levels when the car reaches the customer.
that all sounds too true and they will be unable to change it as its part of the culture.
Our place has an adversion to any form of torque control on the production line and the guys are always being swapped around with no formal training at the station they are swapping to. the resistance to visual aids compounds this problem.
Our place has an adversion to any form of torque control on the production line and the guys are always being swapped around with no formal training at the station they are swapping to. the resistance to visual aids compounds this problem.
babbo_umbro
Established member
If you Google "Fiat sciopero" you'll get some idea of how many strikes there are - often just for a couple of hours.
Blimey! Maybe it's going to look like going back to the infamous Fiat build quality of years gone by. That'll be a shame because I think in the last decade all those car manufacturers who have had bad reputations for build quality have improved significantly. I think this is largely due to the buying public simply no longer tolerating 'characterful cars' and improved production techniques and reduced tolerances. For example, ten years ago I wouldn't have considered a Fiat.
Well that being the case, build quality ought not to suffer. Let's face it, there is no way manufacturers can get away with shoddy build quality like they used to or their reputation will suffer. Buyers are much less tolerant of it than they used to be, no matter how cheap the car.
The Grande Punto & Punto Evo sections can really be an eye opener at times. Be in no doubt, the Panda is the best built Fiat in the range. 500 (also Polish) and Bravo (which shares the factory with the Alfa Guilietta) are not bad, but the Puntos, which are built in their own factory in Italy have some unacceptable build problems. Nothing critical, but just not something i'd ever heard of from any other manufacturer. It also must make the owner think 'if they got this bit wrong, what else have they cocked up'!
This news story published today highlights the fact that the Fiat CEO is very aware of the situation, and fortunately it seems he will make progress, even if that means shifting production outside of Italy.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12199643
This article goes into more detail:
http://www.france24.com/en/20110115...iori-labour-unions-car-industry-auto-business
This news story published today highlights the fact that the Fiat CEO is very aware of the situation, and fortunately it seems he will make progress, even if that means shifting production outside of Italy.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12199643
This article goes into more detail:
http://www.france24.com/en/20110115...iori-labour-unions-car-industry-auto-business
OP
OP
Well... a cost of £600 was quoted for the repair of the Ka.
So soon to arrive is a nearly new, 10 miles on the clock pre-reg Panda Active 1.1 Eco in Mambo Yellow. I honestly can't wait to get a drive. The Bravo will probably throw a con-rod in disgust.
So soon to arrive is a nearly new, 10 miles on the clock pre-reg Panda Active 1.1 Eco in Mambo Yellow. I honestly can't wait to get a drive. The Bravo will probably throw a con-rod in disgust.
sounds like a perfect replacement. i like the yellow far better than tropicalia on the panda.
Well... a cost of £600 was quoted for the repair of the Ka.
So soon to arrive is a nearly new, 10 miles on the clock pre-reg Panda Active 1.1 Eco in Mambo Yellow. I honestly can't wait to get a drive. The Bravo will probably throw a con-rod in disgust.
I've had a very similar car as a courtesy car, without wishing to sound disparaging or defammatory it is entirely enough. Not flash, hugely well equipped, or blessed with face bending speed. But entirely fit for purpose and quite good fun with it.
