• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • The Rearview Mirror: All That the Name Implies
  • Top Tips for Improving EV Range in Cold Weather
  • Mercedes is First Automaker to Offer True Level 3 Hands-Free Driving System in the U.S.
  • Audi Introduces Fourth “Sphere” Concept: Activesphere
  • Jaguar Land Rover Posts First Profitable Quarter in Two Years
  • Musk Confirms Cybertruck Production Tracking for End of 2023
  • Polestar Raises its Game with the 2024 Polestar 2
  • Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda Steps Down, Hands Reins to Lexus Chief Koji Sato
  • Environmental Groups Chide GM for ICE Investments
  • Tesla Sets New Financial Benchmarks, But Misses Analysts Targets
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
      • Feeder
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • A Week With: 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R 4x4 Super Crew
    • A Week With: 2023 Genesis Electrified G80 AWD
    • A Week With: 2023 Land Rover Defender 110 V-8
    • First Drive: 2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport
    • A Week With: 2023 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe
    • A Week With: 2023 GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate
    • A Week With: 2023 Genesis GV60 Performance
    • A Week With: 2023 Chevrolet Suburban Z71
    • A Week With: 2023 Lexus UX 250h F Sport
    • A Week With: 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQB 300 4Matic
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Automobiles > Where’s Charlie? Has Fiat Cut Sheen?

        Where’s Charlie? Has Fiat Cut Sheen?

        Project for Fiat 124 Spider with controversial actor put in the “drawer.”

        Paul A. Eisenstein
        Paul A. Eisenstein , Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
        Nov. 20, 2015
        Charlie Sheen with actress/model Catrinel Menghia in the Fiat Abarth commercial.

        Despite generating plenty of buzz with an earlier commercial for the Italian brand, Fiat has decided to put in the “drawer” a commercial it was putting together for the new Fiat 124 Spider that featured legendary Hollywood “bad boy” Charlie Sheen.

        The move comes at a time when the controversial actor is back in the news, revealing he is HIV positive. That, in turn, has prompted some former partners to threaten to bring lawsuits against Sheen for allegedly failing to advise them of his health problems.

        The Full Story!

        A still-incomplete video featuring Sheen driving wildly in the new roadster was played for several dozen reporters during a sneak preview of the new Fiat 124 Spider at parent Fiat Chrysler’s headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan on November 3rd. But it was notably absent from the public unveiling of the 2-seater at the Los Angeles Auto Show this week, prompting speculation there may be a connection to Sheen’s latest troubles.

        The 50-year-old actor previously appeared in a campaign for Fiat’s high-performance sub-brand Abarth. Titled “House Arrest,” it shows the pepped-up version of the little Fiat 500 smashing into a home where a lavish party is underway. After screeching through the mansion, Sheen steps out – wearing an ankle monitoring bracelet.

        The video shown to reporters earlier this month followed a nearly identical theme, the new roadster going through its paces before the window opens to reveal Sheen behind the wheel. “Some people watch car porn,” he says to the camera. “I prefer to make it.”

        (Click Here to check out the 2016 Fiat 124 Spider.)

        The video for the new Fiat 124 Spider echoed the same them as the older Abarth spot, showing Sheen pushing the car to extremes.

        While no clear plan for the spot was announced during the background session, Bob Broderdorf, the North American director of the Fiat brand, told reporters, “If you’re going to bring this vehicle to the U.S., you’re going to have to do it with flair.”

        What happened between the background session and the L.A. Auto Show debut?

        “At this time, there is no plan for any FIAT creative outside of “House Arrest” that features Charlie Sheen to run on-air or online,” FCA spokeswoman Diane Martin told TheDetroitBureau.com in an e-mail.

        Referring to the Italian brand’s global boss – and head of FCA marketing – Olivier Francois, she added, Olivier and his team shoot creative for many purposes – often times it is for internal presentations or auto show presentation purposes only – and is not ever intended to run as part of an on-air or online campaign.

        Several ad industry insiders contacted by TheDetroitBureau.com confirmed that it is not entirely unheard of for a campaign to be scrapped or delayed, and for a variety of reasons. But they also agreed that it is rare to see a company like Fiat Chrysler go so far as it did with a major celebrity who typically commands a hefty salary for such an appearance – even if Sheen is, as spokesperson Martin suggested, “a friend of the Fiat brand.”

        (Live from LA! Click Here for full coverage of the 2015 LA Auto Show.)

        Those in the marketing community weren’t the only ones surprised by the decision to drop Sheen’s latest effort for Fiat. To his mind, “They don’t want to touch this,” said Joe Phillippi, an auto analyst with AutoTrends Consulting. “I think they’re embarrassed by the HIV situation – or maybe they don’t want to be embarrassed.”

        The use of Sheen could be all the more uncomfortable, Phillippi suggested, because the market for the new Fiat 124 Spider will be skewed towards women.

        Asked directly whether Sheen’s illness had any impact on the decision, spokeswoman Martin underlined in her e-mail that, “it will be based on what he feels is the best creative material he reviews for the launch over the course of coming year — and not by Mr. Sheen’s recent health acknowledgment.”

        She went on to say that marketing chief Olivier – highly regarded for his creative work at Fiat Chrysler – — may yet go to his “drawer of creative material and (later” decide to run/air a specific video from a previous shoot online or on-air – that possibility always exists.”

        (A Fiat pickup? Yep. Click Here to check it out.)

        How to Care for Your Car

        Cheap Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice

        Best Extended Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice
        Recently Published

        The Rearview Mirror: All That the Name Implies

        Yesterday
        GMC Hummer SUT winter testing

        Top Tips for Improving EV Range in Cold Weather

        Jan. 27, 2023
        Mercedes Drive Pilot Nevada driving

        Mercedes is First Automaker to Offer True Level 3 Hands-Free Driving System in the U.S.

        Jan. 27, 2023

        3 responses to “Where’s Charlie? Has Fiat Cut Sheen?”

        1. Mike says:
          November 20, 2015 at 8:07 pm

          Sadly, I haven’t seen this video, but my gut says Charlie Sheen would sell a lot of these cars. After all, they’re not Plymouths. People who buy one should probably have a good sense of humor.

          Reply
        2. Pingback: Fiat dumpt Charlie Sheen voor campagne 124 Spider | autofrats
        3. Pingback: Anonymous

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2023
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: