Fiat Banks on Spicy Abarth 500 Spot, Gives it the Pop-Up Treatment

Why stop when you have a good thing going? And with some 2.2 million views on Fiat's official Youtube channel alone, we'd say the company's 500 Abarth Seduction clip starring Romanian hottie Catrinel Menghia, has been a very successful communication tool for the Italians.

Now, less than a month after the original digital spot made its internet debut, Fiat has released a so-called "pop-up" version by VH1 that incorporates some fun facts about the clip and the two protagonists that will run through the end of December.

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Mythbuster: Are Modern Truck and Car Emissions Comparable to that of Lawn Blowers? [Video]

With government agencies enforcing stricter emission regulations every year and auto manufacturers doing their best to prove that their cars are as eco-friendly as possible, hyperbole is part of the game.

A common saying is that the modern cars are cleaner than lawn equipment and that the carbon dioxide emissions they release are actually lower than that present in the air that comes into the combustion chamber.

Edmund's Insideline decided to put the theories to the test. Since cars come in all shapes and sizes, they chose two examples from the opposite side of the spectrum: a Fiat 500 mini and a Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Crew Cab pickup.

The diminutive Fiat is powered by a 1.4-liter four with 100HP, while the big and menacing-looking Raptor sports a 411HP 6.2-liter V8.

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Fiat Abarth 500 Takes on Subaru Impreza WRX STI on Italian Track [Video]

The Abarth 500, especially when fitted with the 'essesse' performance package that lifts the 1.4-liter turbocharged engine's output to 160-horses, is a capable little beast for its size and price, but is that enough to challenge a previous generation Subaru Impreza WRX STI on the racetrack?

Well, as any driver with some experience on the circuit will tell you, it’s as much about the car as it is about the person sitting behind the wheel. That said, the Abarth 500 shouldn't come close to an STI in the right hands but it's plausible under certain circumstances.

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Artists Tweet that J.Lo's Promotion of the Fiat 500 During the American Music Awards was "Shameless"

Jennifer Lopez has appeared in most of the TV spots regarding the Fiat 500. And that's not all as the 42-year old singer, actress, record producer, dancer, television persona, and fashion designer brought along the Italian city car to the stage during her recent performance at the American Music Awards.

The move, however, came under some heavy criticism. Lopez was attacked on Twitter with messages like “I know I just didn’t see that damb Fiat. I KNOW I didn’t see that friggin’ FIAT” from Roots drummer, Questlove. Singer and award presenter, John Legend, tweeted “that had to be the most shameless thing I’ve ever seen in a performance. I was genuinely shocked.”

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Fiat USA: Out Goes Laura Soave, in Comes Timothy Kuniskis

After a relatively short stint as the head of the Fiat brand in North America that lasted only 20 months, the Chrysler Group announced today that Laura Soave has left the company without giving a reason for her departure.

The Detroit-based automaker issued a statement saying, "Laura Soave has left the Company and will pursue other interests" adding that she will be replaced by Timothy Kuniskis, who recently served as Director for both the Chrysler Brand and Fiat Brand Product Marketing.

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Fiat 500 Abarth Hottie is Not Italian, but Who Cares? And Oh, There’s a New J.Lo Spot Out

Not that we mind one bit, but remember the scorching hot brunette starring in Fiat's 500 Abarth commercial? Whom are we kidding, of course you do.

Well as one of our commentators, Vlad Ewan, pointed out, even though Fiat's ad would like us to believe that she is Italian, the bodacious, long-legged model is in fact Romanian and her name for those of you familiar with "Google Image Search" is Catrinel Menghia.

But then again, isn't that the case with the Fiat 500 in the sense that it's not built in Italy but in Tychy, Poland and Toluca, Mexico?

And since we're on the topic of Fiat 500 ads, the Italian company just released nother commercial with Jeniffer Lopez, this time for the limited production 500 by Gucci Edition, which you can watch with or without your palm facing your head in the video after the jump.

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