Photo: Ed Morales
The promotional tie-up between the Fiat brand in America and entertainer Jennifer Lopez was supposed to be the foundation for the launch of the Fiat 500 on this side of the Atlantic. Instead its become a gaffe filled comedy of errors. The first step in the automaker’s use of the singer/dancer as a celebrity endorser, said to be the brainchild of Chrysler head Olivier François, was to star the 500 in the music video for Lopez’ recent release Papi. That might not have been a bad idea had François not also decided on using a 30 second trailer from the video as the first national US commercial for the car. The result made no sense and was panned by Pete DeLorenzo as the worst car commercial of the past decade, forcing François to insist that it really wasn’t a commercial, just a music video trailer. This was followed up by an actual commercial featuring J-Lo, known for her self-professed “Jenny on the block” persona, apparently driving in her old NYC neighborhood. I say apparently because first it was revealed that much of the principal photography with Ms. Lopez was not shot on location in New York. Then it came to light that those scenes that were actually shot in New York used a body double for Lopez. It turns out that really wasn’t Jenny driving a Fiat 500 on the block. Now it turns out that the Fiat 500 used in shooting the New York scenes broke down in the middle of the scene, needing repairs to complete the shoot.
Continue reading the complete post here.
When he’s not busy doing custom machine embroidery at Autothreads Ronnie Schreiber edits Cars In Depth and contributes to The Truth About Cars and Left Lane News
Okay. Maybe I’m too old for this ad to make any sense to me. When I grew up, glamorous Hollywood types drove big, glamorous cars with lots of room and even more horsepower. You’d see them in a high-end antique car such as a Duesenberg meticulously kept in mint condition, or a custom-made top-of-the-line limo. But you wouldn’t see a hit singer or movie/TV star in a bucket of bolts that looks like a ripoff of the VW Bug.
You can’t make an econobox into a luxury vehicle by jacking up the price and hanging a designer logo on it.
Oh, and by the way, if you compare today’s Hollywood stars to those of half a century ago, the current bunch doesn’t rate. No taste, no class, no style – strictly ghetto, and very depressing. They’re why grownups don’t go to movies very often any more.
And the pointless attack on the Fiat 500 at PJ Media continues! What the HECK are the politics behind that? Is it the fact that Fiat now owns Chrysler? Or that the U.S. Fiat dealership network sucked 27 years ago? I KNOW the campaign sure isn’t about the CAR, because the car itself is a pleasure to drive, a joy to look at, a design masterpiece, and a multiple award-winner that gets up to 40 mpg, and has had an excellent repair record in Europe for the past few years. So clearly there’s something else at work here, and I wonder what it is.
Wow! Fiat has its own propaganda arm. Who knew?
Where to begin:
1) Obama, because he is in love with stupid ideas like itsy-bitsy cars that run on fairy farts, feels free to steal Chrysler, and its assets, from stockholders and creditors, in violation of law, and hand it to Fiat, for a crappy little sh!tbox to be named later.
2) PJ media denizens do not care much for that type of thing, at all. We do not, as a rule, embrace theft, hubris, green BS, illegality…in other words, everything this represents.
3) Thus, we don’t like Fiat, Obama, or you, if you’re sticking up for such theft.
There. That should cover it.
And the pointless attack on the Fiat 500 at PJ Media continues! What the HECK are the politics behind that? … So clearly there’s something else at work here, and I wonder what it is.
Since you asked, and since I wrote this post and a previous one about the first, terrible, J-Lo Fiat ad, there are no politics behind what I’ve written about the 500.
You are right about one thing, I haven’t written about the car. Actually, I haven’t said anything about the Fiat 500 itself. I’ve written about ads. This is about a crappy marketing campaign. I happen to like the Fiat 500, even though I think that Francois has botched the launch, perhaps fatally.
Also, it remains to be seen just how big the MINIesque cute car market in the US is.
I’m not alone in thinking that the biggest mistake Marchionne made with the 500 was to sell the Fiat in standalone Fiat stores and not through the existing Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep dealer networks.
“I’m not alone in thinking that the biggest mistake Marchionne made with the 500 was to sell the Fiat in standalone Fiat stores and not through the existing Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep dealer networks.”
This statement surprises me. My wife and I bought our 500c, and are having it serviced exclusively, at an established Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep dealer. Moreover, our understanding was that that’s how ALL Fiats are being sold and serviced, at least in Pennsylvania where we live. Is Pennsylvania the exception or the rule?
Regardless, I’d agree that selling and servicing the new Fiat through standalone Fiat stores would be a major mistake. Poor distribution and servicing was the major problem with Fiats in the 60s and 70s. I don’t understand why they’d repeat that mistake now, especially when Fiat already owns a mature distribution/servicing network in Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep.
The Fiat 500 is a joy to look at?
Really?
Really?
It’s certainly small, I’ll give it that.
So, the fact that Fiat owns Chrysler should exempt them from any negative comments? The simple fact that they make unreliable cars (as does Chrysler) has NOTHING to do with it.
Fiat has always had reliability issues. Pretty much all italian carmakers (except the super/hand-made types) have had fragile transmissions. I bought my wife a 1980 Fiat 2000 Spyder back in the 80′s…the damn thing broke down nearly once a month. From this article it seems that nothing has changed.
Rich Vail
Pikesville, Maryland
The Vail Spot dot Blogspot dot Com
To John J: No, I’m not sticking up for Obama, hubris, green BS, illegality, or theft, all of which suck nearly as much as you do, you jerk. Please go fark yourself. That should cover it.
JPL17, youre either a 12 year old or a Lib. You may try and deny it but anyone that read either of your last 2 posts can see the pattern used over and over against Conservatism for decades.
You make ignorant statements then arrogantly attack the guy that points out your complete ignorance/arrogance. When you grow up perhaps others will take you seriously. Until then just stfu already…
Mitch — Most of your comments are a bit bizarre. In particular:
You deduce that I’m “either a 12 year old or a Lib.” Sorry, but you’re 0 for 2 on that one. I’m 60 and have been voting for and giving money to conservatives consistently since 1980. Regardless of the merits of my comments about Fiat, your deductive powers are very, very…weak.
Your next claim is that you can see in my 2 posts “the pattern used over and over against Conservatism for decades.” Huh? What part of “Obama sucks” and “green BS sucks” (both of which I wrote) are attacks on Conservatism? Your comment is incomprehensible.
Your next claim is that I made “ignorant statements.” Excuse me? All the statements I made either (a) were factually correct (e.g., “Fiat now owns Chrysler,” and “the [new Fiat 500] gets up to 40 mpg and has…an excellent repair record in Europe for the past few years”); or (b) are my subjective opinions, which by definition can’t be “ignorant” (e.g., “the [new Fiat 500] is a joy to look at”). So whatever “ignorant statements” you’re referring to, they’re figments of your imagination.
Finally, your next claim is that I “arrogantly attack[ed]” another commenter. Fair enough. I over-reacted to a complete stranger falsely accusing me of being Fiat’s “propaganda arm” and supporting “Obama, theft, hubris, green BS and illegality.” But that hardly justifies your other claims or gratuitous insults.
“…and has had an excellent repair record in Europe for the past few years.”
Not so much in New York, eh?
“Now it turns out that the Fiat 500 used in shooting the New York scenes broke down in the middle of the scene, needing repairs to complete the shoot.”
In the ’60′s FIAT stood for “Fix It All the Time” & as a part timer at an imported auto repair shop, most European cars back then were antique designs sold as new cars. I’ve gotten good return on investments with some European cars (Renault 10′s, Peugeot 404′s) but never a Fiat or MG.
Things have changed a lot, but not my feelings about Fiat. My criteria for my vehicles is will they go 300,000 miles in reasonable comfort over 8-10 yrs with minimum upkeep and cost $20,000? American pick-ups fit the bill. Fiats, not so much. And Bubba & Sons Auto repair down the block keep the pick-ups maintained for a reasonable price.
FIAT
Fix
It
Again
Tony
Damn JPL. For someone slinging accusations around, you’re pretty touchy.
Yes, I may be a bit touchy, but my questions all had a reasonable basis. In particular, there appeared to be no reason to trash Fiat for introducing a successful 40-mpg European car into the U.S. market, nor for singling out the J-Lo commercial for criticism, when that ad is no more or less superficial than any other car ad. I therefore asked if there were some political motivation behind the criticism that I wasn’t aware of. The author, Ronnie Schreiber, has now confirmed that he isn’t trashing the car, just the marketing, and that no politics are involved. I accept that.
Indeed, if it’s true (as Ronnie stated) that Fiat will sell and service its cars only through a stand-alone network of Fiat dealerships, instead of through its existing Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep network, then I agree that that’s a major mistake. I had assumed the situation was otherwise, however, because I bought and am servicing my own new 500c Fiat through an established local Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep dealer in Pennsylvania, which I believe is the norm throughout the state.
Finally, with respect to the commercial, I still think anyone who doesn’t like J-Lo needs to have his eyes examined, but that’s just me….
Everybody knows that Fiat stands for “Fix It Again, Tony!”
The spot may be a failure, but I don’t see any “there” there in the fact that principle photography of the star was in LA while the second unit shot with a double in NY. That’s just standard procedure in filmmaking. It’s not a scandal.
J-Lo, on the other hand, may well be a scandal. But shooting a spot this way isn’t.
Craig’s right. I almost passed over this story because the emphasis is in the wrong place. The fact the car broke down during filming is significant, but is buried by the absurd complaint of a “body double”. The financial reasons for doing this are simple: J Lo’s time is expensive, and filming lots of driving footage is time consuming. And if it’s J Lo behind the wheel while they’re shooting, that’s an astronomical ton more they’re paying in insurance. It would be bizarre if it *was* J Lo driving the car around. Look at any old Hollywood film: Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, etc, “driving” fake cars and boats in front of projected backgrounds. Were they trying to *cover something up*?
“Now it turns out that the Fiat 500 used in shooting the New York scenes broke down in the middle of the scene, needing repairs to complete the shoot.”
Like a old, bad joke made current by an absurd reality; Fiat = Fix It Again, Tony.
Poor ad campaign and market intro… the car is wonderful for what it is… a small car. I’m a member of a forum for Fiat X1/9 owners and we have several members both here in America (new owners), as well as in the UK who have owned and operated their 500′s for several years. They are all enthusiastic about the car.
Ronnie is right to say that it would have been better to sell and service them at the Chrysler dealer network.
FIAT Fix It Again Tony
F.I.A.T = Fix It Again Tony. Nothing has changed with Fiat. The still build crap and so does Chrysler. Now they can build it together. The 500 is an over priced econobox and J-lo or any other celeb cannot change it.
Jennifer Lopez has as much soul as a fax machine.
“Everybody knows that Fiat stands for “Fix It Again, Tony!””
…and with the plethora of us repeating this same black-humor joke it seems that Fiat’s big reentry into the American car market is shaping up to be an Epic Fail. You got anything else in your bag of tricks there, Sergio? ‘Cuz this one is getting tacked up on the Wall Of Shame!
I lived in Italy 06-07. While I was there I would periodically see car club outings of Fiat 500 owners. The Italians are very sentimental about the “Cinquecento.” My wife and I would like to own one just as a memory of the great time we had there. We did own a used Fiat Punto while living there. It broke down right after we bought it. It broke down again for the new owners right after we sold it. My wife and I had an expression for events like that: All things Italian!