After Laura Soave was ousted in favor of Tim Kuniskis late last year, the Italian group's CEO, Sergio Marchionne, charged the new division chief with quickly reinvigorating a brand that suffered from weak marketing and a slow dealer roll-out, as well as middling sales that fell well short of estimates.
The most immediately visible change Kuniskis has enacted so far revolves not surprisingly around the brand's marketing efforts Gone is an ill-fated advertising campaign starring Jennifer Lopez and in its place is a new emphasis on regional spots and more edgy marketing like the Fiat 500 Abarth ad from the Super Bowl, which featured a European model and was clearly aimed at male buyers.
But Fiat has also made the unprecedented move of slapping a $500 incentive or 0 percent financing on the hood of every 500. Special $199 per month lease deals are also designed to move some metal.
