Laura, do your ears burn....?

[Fiat500USA]

That picture is disturbing!



edited to make clearer  4-15-11

[kzod]

Personally, I give a thumbs up to Laura's performance.  She's responding to people's concerns personally rather than ignoring them completely which is a huge improvement over other companies.  And frankly of the dealers I visited in Toronto, the big Chrysler one's left me feeling queasy, and I quickly decided not to deal with them.  

Must admit, I'm a little nervous about pre-ordering one of the 500c's now that I see there were so many problems on the 1st ones coming out.  The good news is that I bought mine from a Ferrari / Masseratti dealer, so I'm hopeful for a bit more attention to detail (or completely ignored since the car costs less then their commission on the other cars).

[5*(10)^2]

Fiat #183 wrote

I think they kind of missed on the first steps and that sort of does it for me.  I am not going to spend a lot of time hanging around a Dodge Dealership even if you do call it a Fiat Studio.  Well I would but there would have to be something to draw me in and that is not likely to happen.

Same here. The demographics for Dodge and Fiat don't mix at all. As per set theory, A n B = null.

I can think of a cartoon that perhaps Mankoff can draw for NYT. Shows a Fiat personnel all geared up with safety equipment about to jump off the plane with a parachute. The intention is to land on the US soil. The landing zone is full of PE owners with banners, party balloons celebrating the brand. The instructor on the plane says "Remember, this is a re-jump from 30 years ago. Make sure you pull on the cord and land on the bullseye! Not on the pple!"











Ok...am I banned from this forum? Chris please don't tell Laura about this...

[Giallo Edizione]

<quote author="5*(10)^2">

Fiat #183 wrote

Ok...am I banned from this forum? Chris please don't tell Laura about this...

Chris, please tell Laura about this. All of this.

[Fiat500USA]

<quote author="Giallo Edizione">

5*(10)^2 wrote

Fiat #183 wrote

Ok...am I banned from this forum? Chris please don't tell Laura about this...

Chris, please tell Laura about this. All of this.

It's all good in the 'hood.

One thing I want you to all know is I'm not saying your feelings are wrong... They are yours and it's cool to hear what people think.  I look at these things in the "glass is half full/half empty" way. Both are correct.

Some days, I'm scratching my head on stuff, just like many of you; but because I know a little bit of what's going on (through various sources), it helps me keep from throwing in the towel and going negative.

I think the biggest problem in the whole pre-launch is we didn't get enough communication. For me, that's key. If someone kept us informed with what's happening on a regular basis, it would have kept us in the loop and part of the process.

Here's a little info on that...  The difficulty in communicating with us because of the huge corporate  bureaucracy (legal, etc), took some by surprise and is being changed, so in the future, information should flow more easily.

What I try to do is, whatever information I know on a subject, I let you in on. I think the more informed you are, the better.

It's a balancing act for me, so I am careful. I don't want my car to receive a remote, self destruct message from the company!

[Jim]

where? I have not seen a single response from Laura, I still do not have my car. end of the month is approacing quickly.

[Giallo Edizione]

Look I’m not trying to make trouble or be a troll. I am enjoying my Giallo Edizione just fine and the car meets my expectations in all ways. I feel I got fair value for the money paid, even at full list price. My dealership, delivery and service experience has been very good.

That being said, also important to me are such things as the panache of owning a special car that is the object of desire for many, the community that emerges from being part of something special, unusual, forward-thinking, funky, whatever, and value retention in my purchase.  These things sometimes can just happen on their own, through viral means and often when least expected ( Hula Hoop, Pet Rock, Rap, Facebook) However, a good product in the hands of an excellent marketing team can also cause this to happen. The original Mustang is a great example. iPhone is another. And MINI Cooper. Even Mylie Cyrus. Marketing is the art and science of creating product demand before the customer ever even sees the product. Instills into them the need to have it, as soon as possible. Some envy of others who do have it. The buzz before a product launch is what drives this. I takes real talent, effort and investment to make this happen. The products I mention above all had this in common (maybe except one). Heck, when was the last time a big blockbuster summer movie was playing in the theaters _before_ you saw an ad on TV or other media.

By comparison, the pre-launch marketing of our 500’s has been flaccid at best. Laura J. Soave is in charge of this. She was put in charge a full year before the cars began to appear in the few dealerships that were up and running. She is fully responsible for every aspect of the pre-launch campaign. I can find little evidence of a concerted, coordinated and well-executed pre-launch marketing effort. In fact the only thing I see is the idea of the PE that was hatched last summer and was an utter failure, and Laura showing up at this event or that. People who reserved walked when asked for a mere $500 deposit (that’s how I got my number) and many have walked since, even after the car got to the dealers. Bad car? Nope, just lost their enthusiasm for the most part. And too many of these PE cars had unusual amounts of defects, probably because they were rushed through production in panic, which should never ever have been allowed to happen. That Laura “stepped in” to help one or two fed up souls does not in any way make up for the complete lack of pre-launch marketing campaign. And overworked registry employees and unlicensed dealers has little to do with pre-launch marketing.

I am a former MINI owner. I got mine in the fall of 2002 after its March launch.. The feel of getting one, the sense of being part of something new and exciting, the sense of community, the “MINI wave”, the goodies, it was all there. All part of the experience and mystique that was created by the marketing wave that preceded launch. This is completely absent in the 500 ownership experience so far for me. Yes we have a nice community here on Chris’s forum, but take a look around. Mostly PE owners/depositors. Rabid?  I’m not so sure. Are customers lining up at dealers happy to pay a premium like MINI? Nope. My dealer has a back lot with some 75+  500’s at this point, nearly all of which are automatics and going nowhere fast. Do you think marketing got that right? FIAT’s  should be flying off the lot. But they are not.

Now I’ll eat my spare tire ( yes I have one, I cancelled my PE 311)  if Laura and Co. have some ace up their sleeve and the rumored marketing blitz that is just around the corner somehow changes all of this in a really big way. But history defies that from happening, especially in a case where there is little sign of any viral buzz giving some tailwind to a late marketing campaign. This past year of her marketing stewardship was absolutely crucial to developing the buzz, the panache, the specialness and demand for the 500 in North America and Laura has flat out wasted it with abysmal results. Even FIAT corporate management admits they are disappointed so far in North American sales. It could be too late. It will be too late if Chrysler-FIAT does not do something about it, about Laura J. Soave, now. She needs to go.

[Fiat #183]

Ditto to all of that.

What is a Giallo Edizione?  You have created more of a buzz than laura has over the PE 500's

[ciddyguy]

<quote author="Fiat500USA">

Giallo Edizione wrote

5*(10)^2 wrote

Fiat #183 wrote

Ok...am I banned from this forum? Chris please don't tell Laura about this...

Chris, please tell Laura about this. All of this.

It's all good in the 'hood.

One thing I want you to all know is I'm not saying your feelings are wrong... They are yours and it's cool to hear what people think.  I look at these things in the "glass is half full/half empty" way. Both are correct.

Some days, I'm scratching my head on stuff, just like many of you; but because I know a little bit of what's going on (through various sources), it helps me keep from throwing in the towel and going negative.

I think the biggest problem in the whole pre-launch is we didn't get enough communication. For me, that's key. If someone kept us informed with what's happening on a regular basis, it would have kept us in the loop and part of the process.

Here's a little info on that...  The difficulty in communicating with us because of the huge corporate  bureaucracy (legal, etc), took some by surprise and is being changed, so in the future, information should flow more easily.

What I try to do is, whatever information I know on a subject, I let you in on. I think the more informed you are, the better.

It's a balancing act for me, so I am careful. I don't want my car to receive a remote, self destruct message from the company!

Chris, even though I've not bought a prima, I have read along with, and sympathized with those who have bought primas and have had to wait through poor communication etc before getting and many just gave up.

I can understand all of that and sadly, this communication thing isn't new, nor exclusive to Fiat, but it's an issue of society at large these days. What this means is, we've been bombarded by information so much that we assume someone else will let other's know or they'll find out out by themselves somehow and yet, nothing gets through, all because of the assumption factor and we have forgotten how important it is to communicate, clearly what's going on, within reason.

And this isn't to put off the blame where it counts but it is a symptom of society itself IMO.

[littlejohn]

The buzz to be created of course was the whole PE program, and that sold some cars didn't it...and what did it cost Fiat to put together?...much less than TV and Radio Ads for sure.

When the dealers are open, then the public will see the next marketing launch I assume?  Laura did say there was a dealer that already took 80 orders so, that's not too bad.  We are reading about how many cars are sitting on dealer lots, train yards?, etc....but what we don't know is how many orders have been placed?

I don't think anyone can judge the success/failure of the 500 until maybe mid next year?

The buying process for a 500, to many anyway, is going to be more akin to buying say, a motorcycle.  You either want one or you don't.  It's not for everyone, just those that, in Fiat's words have a "passion" for one.  Car for the masses, no.

Will the 500 hold it's value down the road, don't know?  I'm looking forward to the commercials, when they get here though.  

[5*(10)^2]

I have to let everyone in on something...

Yes, I own a smart and yes I know smart's sales have plummeted. But it's all because of poor marketing. Penske Auto Group *was* responsible since 2008 for marketing, selling, distributing the brand.

But since the last 3 years, no one has seen any print, tv, or billboard ads. That's because PAG claims that they are lacking funds to do such large-scale marketing.

Smart cars should have been sold by Mercedes dealers to begin with. Afterall, the door jam has a VIN decal that says made by Daimler AG. Coincidentally enough, only a handful of MB dealers have the farsightedness to apply to become a smart dealer as well. My smart/MB dealer has a smart studio located right next to Maybach. That's right. The most expensive and the least expensive Daimler products share the same location. That is brand association right there.

Daimler AG finally took over the operations from PAG as of Feb 2011. That announcement came as a surprise to smart owners and mostly to PAG. A somewhat bittersweet feeling. But we had hope that it was like this to begin with. Just look at BMW/MINI. There is a brand association.

--------------------------------------------------------------

So back to Fiat's marketing, they have to really step up to the plate. BMW/MINI rhymes really well. Smart/MB needs some work. Fiat/Chrysler, well...needs a lot more work! Learn how PAG mishandled the smart brand, learn from how BMW successfully manages/associates their MINI brand. Then go from there.

[Giallo Edizione]

5*(10)^2 wrote

I have to let everyone in on something...

Yes, I own a smart and yes I know smart's sales have plummeted. But it's all because of poor marketing. Penske Auto Group *was* responsible since 2008 for marketing, selling, distributing the brand.

But since the last 3 years, no one has seen any print, tv, or billboard ads. That's because PAG claims that they are lacking funds to do such large-scale marketing.

Smart cars should have been sold by Mercedes dealers to begin with. Afterall, the door jam has a VIN decal that says made by Daimler AG. Coincidentally enough, only a handful of MB dealers have the farsightedness to apply to become a smart dealer as well. My smart/MB dealer has a smart studio located right next to Maybach. That's right. The most expensive and the least expensive Daimler products share the same location. That is brand association right there.

Daimler AG finally took over the operations from PAG as of Feb 2011. That announcement came as a surprise to smart owners and mostly to PAG. A somewhat bittersweet feeling. But we had hope that it was like this to begin with. Just look at BMW/MINI. There is a brand association.

--------------------------------------------------------------

So back to Fiat's marketing, they have to really step up to the plate. BMW/MINI rhymes really well. Smart/MB needs some work. Fiat/Chrysler, well...needs a lot more work! Learn how PAG mishandled the smart brand, learn from how BMW successfully manages/associates their MINI brand. Then go from there.

I bought one of the first smarts in NE in Jan 2008. I luckily got it right at the moment it was orphaned, because by the introduction date there was a 6 month backlog (interested buyers could order on-line for $100 fully refundable for months before it was introduced). Resellers were getting hefty premiums for used. I drove that smart until July with 3,500 miles and sold it, sight unseen, on craigslist to a guy in Virginia who wired me the money and sent a truck two days later. And the best part is I sold it for more than my all-in costs of ownership, including purchase price, taxes, delivery fees, insurance and gas.  Lucky I did, because the demand was rapidly saturated after that and the bottom fell out of the smart market in the US. But at least they got it off the ground right and they commanded premiums-but as you said, they then blew it in the post-launch marketing effort. I believe MINI could have suffered a similar fate had they not maintained a non-stop niche car marketing campaign to this day. To tell you the truth, I still don't know if it was a good or bad move by MB to give smart to PAG.

[Sal]

Mine, #395 is fault free (so far).

[littlejohn]

Read through a few more, newer reviews, of the 500 and 500C last night.  Almost all of them predict success in the US for the 500, based just on higher US gas prices alone.  Criswell Fiat just took another Mini in on trade.  The 500C looks like it's coming sooner than later, so, all who have bought these cars can feel better now.  Sure like to see this Alfa Mito? which has been rumored to be coming over?Probably come in at $25K.  
   

[CIAO RR]

HI,

Picked up #239 on Monday and it was flawless!  So now I want to make a minor change and add a better rearview mirror.  Ordered a GENTEX mirror with auto dimming, compass and homelink.  The removal of the old mirror was easy.  The new mirror is a bit wider but i have no problem with it.  Ran the wires and tucked them away.  Now I need to tap into the wiring harness.  So here is where I stop.  I need some help to find the ignition wire and a wire that has constant battery feed.  Since I don't have a shop manual and I don't want to just start tapping wires can anyone help me in this area???  

Please help.  If I can get it to work, I'll post it the results and the model # mirror.

Thx,

Ray

[dipstick1]

Two points, # 275 delivered by Fiat of Larchmont, so far all good, has met or exceeded all my expectations. Would have been happier if it was delivered a month ago, before the stock cars.

As for the Mirror install, the fuse panel below the steering column should provide a place to safely tap into, some fuse's maybe live all the time and some maybe live with the key on...

[jamesday24]

I'm happy with the build quality of my PE 345.  My main issue is the mismatched color of the bumper and body on my Bianco.  The bumper looks like it's a bit off-white.

Washing my car yesterday, I noticed the rear FIAT badge has two scratches/cracks in the silver edge under the clear layer, I might look into getting it replaced.

[ciddyguy]

jamesday24 wrote

I'm happy with the build quality of my PE 345.  My main issue is the mismatched color of the bumper and body on my Bianco.  The bumper looks like it's a bit off-white.

Washing my car yesterday, I noticed the rear FIAT badge has two scratches/cracks in the silver edge under the clear layer, I might look into getting it replaced.

The paint mismatch on the bumpers Vs the rest of the car, that's normal for ANY car due to the differences in the materials the paint is applied to. This has been discussed before here in another thread and I did some research into automotive paints as in their development ever since the advent of the car industry over 100 years ago and in that research, this very topic was mentioned and even they say that paint sprayed onto plastic, even of the same batch will be slightly off from the same paint sprayed on metal and is considered normal but usually, it's not noticeable and part of what makes it so is where the seams are as in some angles, it might accentuate the differences.

I've seen this mismatch for over 30 years especially when you go back to the soft noses/rears of older GM cars from the late 70's, it was prevalent even more then than it is now and I was old enough to notice such things back in the day when the cars were new on a few occasions

And this mismatch isn't relegated to the lower end cars, but at ALL price levels nearly due to the nature of how paint adheres to plastic Vs metal.

[Jim]

All I have to say about it is if it were me, in charge, Fiat adds would have saturated the market by now.
And every one of those Prima's would be delivered if I had to do it myself.. It was 500 cars after all.

All the excuses are Bull and several people should be looking for work right now. Fiat / Chrysler should be real mad about this and they well, just don't seem to care. The cars are great and should sell themselves, but the poor effort is really likely to hurt that, I don't care how good a car is if you cant even get it delivered on time your showing the customer that they cant rely on you.

I will never forget this fiasco, I get more upset every day that passes with my car sitting on a lot where they are not licensed to sell me the car. I try to look past it, the dealer did give me a loaner, but honestly my "first edition", oh crap whats Italian for 3rd......

[Giallo Edizione]

Hallelulia! I heard my first FIAT 500 radio ad today.  I guess the long awaited marketing blitz is on.

As luck would have it I was literally standing in the shop working with the guys installing the new stripes on my FIAT when it came on. A lot of chatter in the ad about cinquecento this and cinquecento that, itialian flair and such, but it was cool and I pointed it out to the installers, for whom my car was their first encounter. We all thought it amusing given we were working on my car at the time.

More later on the stripes-can't seem to upload pics to this forum from my work computer.