2/7/11 New Email...

[Gavin]

http://image.fiat-email.com/lib/fe621570746506757d1c/m/1/110207_fiat_bodywork.jpg



Still assemble line images...hoping for a finished product images soon, especially the dash/instrument panel.

Gavin

[prima 109]

Damn Gavin!!! You are on the ball!!  You beat me to it.

Craig

[Mike S]

I think we should be getting more than an email like this from Fiat. This photo is no better than the one last week. We should not have to call the dealers, they should be calling us! We should be getting answers about our cars from the dealers. Instead, we are telling them about the cars.

This is disappointing. I have no faith in my local dealer because he has not contacted me yet is driving a 500 all over the place to show his friends. I can't even make an appointment to see it! Nobody knows anything.

I don't think I'm going to take delivery from him. I want to buy my cars from someone else. He is not the special Fiat experience I have been led to expect. This is getting more sour every day.

[sketch]

To be fair, he can't sell you a car that hasn't been built yet.

[MrJones]

Yet another email I didn't get. What's going on here? Maybe I got kicked out of the program? Seriously, I've received earlier emails, but have missed the last two.

[MrJones]

@Mike S

Sheesh. Angry much?

[Jim McKenzie]

I think perhaps justifiable frustration...

I did not order a PE nor put my $ 500 down yet, and I am a bit frustrated too.  I can't imagine what it must be like to have paid, have a # and get little in updates. (Once again thank God for this site!)

I think I can understand's Mike's frustration ...

[Mike S]

Yes, I'm a bit pissed. Mostly about the lack of communication.

The Fiat pie in the sky December delivery may have been optimistic but J.C. at least talk to us.

[sketch]

I don't know where you heard that.  The official word has been "by April 30th" every single time I have talked to someone from Fiat.

[Vlad92]

I don’t want to sound too negative, but does anyone else think the tone of this email is a bit condescending?  I’m referring to the part that says “The Plant Manager sent me these photos, so I’m sharing them with you” and “as soon as I learn more, I’ll let you know.”  Does Laura expect us to believe that the Plant Manger just randomly sent her these photos and she just happen to pass them along?  And as the Head of Fiat are we to believe that she doesn’t know what’s going on and so when she “learns more” she will let us know…  please!  As senior management Laura better know what’s going on under her watch.  Maybe I’m reading too much into this… but I feel like she is talking down to us!

[sjmst]

Mike S wrote

Yes, I'm a bit pissed. Mostly about the lack of communication.

The Fiat pie in the sky December delivery may have been optimistic but J.C. at least talk to us.

Well,
"We're so excited that everything is coming together. ...,As soon as I learn more, I'll let you know.

Ciao,
 
Laura Soave"


Hey, if they are keeping the Chief in the dark, how do we expect to know anything.

[Gavin]

I didn't see it that way, but I can understand if you did...I've seen this approach before with heads of companies and marketing people...it is their attempt to seem "folksy" or "normal" and just like you the customer.

I have no issue with the email, but the photos are kinda useless...except the factory seems clean and bright and up and running...so that is good...I would still like to see more "complete" photos of the PE...but then maybe it really is just now being made. Still, from sheet-metal pressing to finished car should only be a day or so, right?

Maybe more tomorrow...but it seems we get a photo a week...

At that rate, painted body next week.
Insides the week after.
Engine the week after that....

But I think we might see our PE in our driveways before the final emails get to us at that rate :)

Actually I am most interested in both delivery and payment...seems we haven't heard anything concrete on either aspects.

Gavin

[MrJones]

Fiat doesn't have to send us any emails. They're just throwing us a bone. I mean really, if you believe that they took these pictures yesterday of our cars being made, you're gonna be disappointed--because that means they are several weeks away from getting to you. They took a bunch of pictures as they were being made and they're sending them to us in measured intervals to keep us interested (not that we have lost interest). But there are probably a few PE reservees out there who don't follow this forum and are actually happy to receive the updates from Fiat.

They won't deliver the car without the "studio" up and running anyway, so sit tight. (I know there is discussion about home delivery, but check the "behind the scenes" video interview with Soave. She alludes to this point when somebody asks the question. Plus home delivery of new cars is definitely an non-preferred avenue for any dealer and in some cases not allowed by some states).

[sonicsby5]

Agree w/ Vlad.  Though the email was fun to receive, it was essentially just a marketing exercise.  I think they made sure the pictures were terrible so we wouldn't really see anything, and to expect us to believe that Laura Soave, head of FIAT NA doesn't have any additional information for us?  Please.  If she wanted to she could tell each one of us where our car was in the process and the timing for delivery.  Get on with it already.  The factory is churning out cars, where are the Primas?

#215

[Fiat500USA]

sonicsby5 wrote

Agree w/ Vlad.  Though the email was fun to receive, it was essentially just a marketing exercise.  I think they made sure the pictures were terrible so we wouldn't really see anything, and to expect us to believe that Laura Soave, head of FIAT NA doesn't have any additional information for us?  Please.  If she wanted to she could tell each one of us where our car was in the process and the timing for delivery.  Get on with it already.  The factory is churning out cars, where are the Primas?

#215

Hi sonicsby5, welcome to the forum!

I would bet that email got edited 12 times by various corporate lawyers to make sure some obscure drop of info that could be mis-construed didn't escape past their noses.

The bottom line is we're waiting for the dealers to finalize what they have to do.   There is sales training happening in LA this week, service has already begun, parts and service tools should also show up soon. With luck, we'll see cars at the end of the month.

In the meantime, start calling your local dealers and see where they are in the big picture.  I assume they'll have to be up and running to deliver the car, but I may be wrong (it happens;) .  

If your near the Criswell/Fiat of Austin/ LA Motor Village, you know they'll be able to deliver cars.

[NM dude]

The updates are nice to get, but IMO the cars are all built and sitting in a storage lot in Mexico.

Chris is right on about contacting the dealers. I have been talking to Lisa Copeland at Fiat of Austin, and my car will be shipped there for delivery. She is going to find out more info at the meeting in LA this week. Austin is 500 miles away from me,  my nearest dealer is in Albuquerque, which is 220 miles. Bottom line here is , there is nothing close to Clovis, NM !! It will be a fun trip to Austin to get my car!

[Gavin]

Well the "future" Fiat of Albuquerque Dealer showroom is 2 miles from my house...whenever he opens that will be great, but that isn't likely to happen till summer or later...I'm still hoping my PE can still get shipped to him vs Austin...Austin is about 700 miles from me...pretty far for a day trip.

El Paso would be 265 miles, so not horrid, but would prefer to deal in State if possible. Plus the El Paso dealership isn't suppose to be up till Summer...if I'm waiting till summer for my PE I will likely just wait for the EV...

Delivery to my driveway would be great, but next best would be delivery to the current Chrysler, future Fiat showroom just down the road from me.

Gavin

[sonicsby5]

I hope I don't sound too negative.  I'm really excited, but frustrated with the process.  There will three dealers here in the Seattle area, only one of them seems at all geared up to start selling cars - the Rairdon Group in Kirkland.  I've been in contact with their FIAT handler, Erin Alexander, and while she/they have been very nice, they seem to know even less than you guys.  

Meanwhile, I'm nursing along an old Honda while I wait, and wait, and get postponed...  And get silly emails with photos that could have been taken last December...  Just a little frustrated like everyone else.

#215 in Seattle

[sjmst]

sonicsby5 wrote

I hope I don't sound too negative.  I'm really excited, but frustrated with the process.  There will three dealers here in the Seattle area, only one of them seems at all geared up to start selling cars - the Rairdon Group in Kirkland.  I've been in contact with their FIAT handler, Erin Alexander, and while she/they have been very nice, they seem to know even less than you guys.  

Meanwhile, I'm nursing along an old Honda while I wait, and wait, and get postponed...  And get silly emails with photos that could have been taken last December...  Just a little frustrated like everyone else.

#215 in Seattle

+1 on all that. I have a 2002 BMW with 145000 miles. I decided to list it on a couple of BMW websites.
Now I am getting people rushing to buy it (to my surprise) and I am not sure I should let it go yet.

For me, living in LI, NY, it may be an Amtrak to Maryland to Criswell!

[Ciddyguy]

Sonicsby5,

I did a reconnaissance on Sunday afternoon to the Rairdon dealer, they only have a sign saying that Fiat of Kirkland is coming soon on their car wash building and the dealership still shows it being a Chrysler/Jeep and now Dodge dealer so where the Fiat studio will be, I don't know but the building is getting a new arch, which is similar to the one being constructed at Phil Biven's Tacoma Dodge, down on S. Tacoma Way in Tacoma and speaking of Bivens, if you go to the Tacoma Dodge website, scroll all the way down to the small print scroll area, and scroll within that, you will see the name, Fiat of Seattle as being listed as coming soon, but not other clues outside of the outdated PDF from last Oct that you get when you click on the banner for Fiat coming soon segment of the banner announcements.

No peep at all with Autonation, both locally or nationally and they are supposed to be selling Fiat too, at least nothing on their site that I can find anyway.