We liked the 2013 Fiat 500e electric car, a lot.
It may be the best of the low-volume compliance cars, in fact--though the 2014 Chevy Spark EV and 2013 Honda Fit EV are pretty great too.
We're less sure how we feel about the ad campaign Fiat is using to pitch the car, under the tagline, "Environmentally Sexy."
Take the ad above, titled "Ryan's Story."
It clearly plays off the gorgeous-European-women-in-high-heels meme that blazed the Fiat 500 Abarth hot hatch into public awareness, courtesy of now-superstar model Catrinel Menghia.
This new ad for Fiat's 500e electric car even repeats the nerd-with-gorgeous-woman plot.
But this time, he's not a hapless sap but a smug, self-absorbed poseur.
The purpose of the ad is to point you to Fiat's "Environmentally Sexy" site for more information on the electric 500.
Visit the site and fill out a brief survey, give Fiat a bit of personal data, and you'll be paired up with ... no, not a date.
The site's purpose is to match you with one of the five Fiat 500e models, each with a color reflecting its personality: Arancio Elettrico (Electric Orange), Bianco Perla (White Pearl), and three more.
We'll let you tell us whether you think this is a good way to market electric cars--a topic that certainly seems to prove challenging for automakers.
For what it's worth, when the ad was played for journalists covering the Fiat 500e launch event, the response was dead silence.
Leave us your thoughts in the Comments below.
Politely, please.
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