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Fiat turns to Funny or Die with new Italian-centric video spots

The web video might be the sitcom of the modern age as the main way people consume comedy. Even if you don't want to sit down and watch a TV show, you can dedicate just a few minutes for a laugh from a brief film. Fiat found huge success last year with its Backseat Italians ad for the 500L on Funny or Die, with over 1.6 million views as of this writing. So the Italian automaker is playing on its country's stereotypes again in a new online series called Neighbors.
The concept behind the videos is super-simple. An attractive Italian couple with their Fiat 500L moves in next door to a stereotypical suburban family and hilarity ensues. Most of the shorts play up humorous misunderstandings in translation like with the phrase "When in Rome..." So far, the best of the bunch is probably Express Lane to Trouble about what happens when you drink too much espresso. If you like what you see, there are still two more episodes on the way soon.
Scroll down to watch all five current videos. They're only a few minutes long and should at least provide a good chuckle. You can also read Fiat's press release about the stunt, below.

EV cost burden pushing automakers to their limits, says Stellantis' CEO Tavares

DETROIT — Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said external pressure on automakers to quickly shift to electric vehicles potentially threatens jobs and vehicle quality as producers struggle with EVs' higher costs. Governments and investors want car manufacturers to speed up the transition to electric vehicles, but the costs are "beyond the limits" of what the auto industry can sustain, Tavares said in an interview at the Reuters Next conference released Wednesday. "What has been decided is to impose on the automotive industry electrification that brings 50% additional costs against a conventional vehicle," he said. "There is no way we can transfer 50% of additional costs to the final consumer because most parts of the middle class will not be able to pay." Automakers could charge higher prices and sell fewer cars, or accept lower profit margins, Tavares said. Those paths both lead to cutbacks. Union leaders in Europe and North America have warned tens of thousands of jobs could be lost. Automakers need time for testing and ensuring that new technology will work, Tavares said. Pushing to speed that process up "is just going to be counter productive. It will lead to quality problems. It will lead to all sorts of problems," he said. Tavares said Stellantis is aiming to avoid cuts by boosting productivity at a pace far faster than industry norm. "Over the next five years we have to digest 10% productivity a year ... in an industry which is used to delivering 2 to 3% productivity" improvement, he said. "The future will tell us who is going to be able to digest this, and who will fail," Tavares said. "We are putting the industry on the limits." Electric vehicle costs are expected to fall, and analysts project that battery electric vehicles and combustion vehicles could reach cost parity during the second half of this decade. Like other automakers that earn profits from combustion vehicles, Stellantis is under pressure from both establishment automakers such as GM, Ford, VW and Hyundai, as well as start-ups such as Tesla and Rivian. The latter electric vehicle companies are far smaller in terms of vehicle sales and employment. But investors have given Tesla and Rivian higher market valuations than the owner of the highly profitable Jeep and Ram brands. That investor pressure is compounded by government policies aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The European Union, California and other jurisdictions have set goals to end sales of combustion vehicles by 2035.

2014 Fiat Ottimo is an Italian Dodge Dart hatchback in China

Could there be a car that could lead us to forgive Chrysler for the unloved Dodge Caliber? Yes, and it's called the 2014 Fiat Ottimo. This is the hatchback version of the Fiat Viaggio - a Fiat-badged Dodge Dart - that we heard about back in April, and it was just unveiled at the Guangzhou Motor Show to be built and sold in China next year.
This stylish little five-door looks good enough to proudly wear a BMW or Audi badge, with a two-box design that works really well with the Dart's design. Aside from the obvious Dart headlights, Fiat did a great job of giving the Ottimo a distinct and exciting face with an all-new front fascia and L-shaped running lights. Things stay classy at the rear of the Ottimo with taillights that have an interesting circular light pattern and chrome-trimmed lower fascia reflectors. Not that we have any say in the matter, but this hatchback would sure look good competing up against the all-new Mazda3 in the US.
As for what Chinese-market buyers have to look forward to, the press release posted below doesn't mention specific powertrain options, but we suspect it will be the same as the Viaggio. This includes two versions of the 1.4-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder (tuned for either 120 or 150 horsepower) paired with either a five-speed manual or six-speed DCT.