Year-to-date Chrysler has sold more than 5,000 Fiat 500 models after changing its advertising.
Since its debut on YouTube channel on 1 March, “House Arrest” has attracted millions of viewers. The promotional spot for the Fiat 500 Abarth has Charlie Sheen and Catrinel Menghia in staring roles, if you don’t count the black Abarth that Sheen is tearing up the inside of his house with.
Now because of demands from Fiat dealers, the spoof is set to make its broadcast debut tomorrow on Thursday 15 March during the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
In the spot, a crowd cheers Sheen as he races through a luxurious home in a Fiat 500 Abarth. Screeching to a stop, Sheen exits the vehicle, sporting an ankle monitor, as Catrinel Menghia, the same woman featured in a previous “Seduction” spot flirtatiously approaches him. It seems perfect for the sophomoric humor crowd.
Year-to-date Chrysler has sold more than 5,000 Fiat 500 models.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
