Monday, February 14, 2011

Fiat returns to the USA


There hasn't been a Fiat showroom in the USA for over 25 years, but that will soon change. Fiat's merger with Chrysler last year has laid the groundwork for the Italian auto maker to sell Fiats side-by-side with its American Mopar counterparts.

The first Fiat vehicle to be sold in the US will be an Americanized version of the popular European compact, the Fiat 500. Starting at around $15,000, this little car will be going up against vehicles like BMW's Mini and Ford's Focus.

Fiat is currently taking pre-orders for a special edition of the 500, but no target date is given. It will be offered in Pop, Sport and Lounge models. What's a Lounge model? No idea.

Something interesting to ponder is that Fiat is introducing this very small car as the 500, next to the Chrysler 200 and 300. Traditionally, in America, the larger the number, the larger the car (That's why an F-350 is larger than an F-150 truck). This will probably confuse a few people at first, especially those who aren't familiar with the 500's popularity in Europe. But I believe a year from now the Fiat 500 will be as common a name as the Mini is today.

-Christopher Pinto,
Creative Director, Engelhardt & Partners Automotive Advertising
http://epadv.com

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Auto Industry sales up 17.3%!


According to an article in the Detroit Free Press, US auto sales are up 17.3% overall for January. This is, of course excellent news for anyone in or tied to the automotive industry.

The article goes on to say that new cars sales could hit 12.5 to 13.5 million units this year, and that most of the sales are coming from individual buyers as opposed to lower-profit fleet sales.

Read the full article here at Detroit Free Press.

Engelhardt & Partners Advertising
epadv.com