Jennifer Lopez is no longer the face of Fiat in the U.S. — but Charlie Sheen is, at least in the new 60-second commercial for the Fiat 500 Abarth.

In the commercial, called "House Arrest," Sheen appears with Catrinel Menghia, the Romanian model from "Seduction," the first Abarth spot (now blocked in the U.S. on YouTube but you can watch another version below) that aired during the Super Bowl. More details on Sheen's involvement in the press release from Chrysler.Continue reading...

Fiat wants a mulligan for how it launched last year in the U.S. market, after a few decades away. Its sexy commercial for the new Fiat 500 Abarth that ran during the Super Bowl was just the opening gambit in Fiat's new strategy for recovering from last year's disappointments.

Now, the brand that owns Chrysler is retuning its US strategy, launching an entire program that it hopes will finally add Fiat as a viable small car line in its U.S. stable. The initiative includes more advertising, zero-percent financing for consumers, new products, fresh brand leadership and a determination finally to get on the same page as Fiat's 140 U.S. dealers.

There's little understating how badly things have gone for Fiat in America, as its attempt to imbue the Fiat 500 as a hip ride led to its US marketing head's ouster. The brand's music video-style spot starring Jennifer Lopez and a track ("Papi") from her latest album, intended to attract female customers, was panned when it debuted in September, while JLo's Fiat-laden official music video proved an embarrassment of product placement overload.Continue reading...