Gilles: Fiat 500 on sale in U.S. by the end of 2010
 

<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/coupes/" rel="tag">Coupe</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/suvs/" rel="tag">SUV</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/chrysler/" rel="tag">Chrysler</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/dodge/" rel="tag">Dodge</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/jeep/" rel="tag">Jeep</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/fiat/" rel="tag">Fiat</a></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/gallery/fiat-500-4/#14"><img vspace="4" hspace="0" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/02/070705ffiat50012-630op.jpg" /></a>
<div style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><sma ll>Fiat 500 - Click above for high-res image gallery</small></strong></em></div>
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Ralph Gilles, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/make/dodge/">Dodge</a> CEO and <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/make/chrysler/">Chrysler</a> Group design head, has just wrapped up an address to the Chicago Economic Club that was peppered with several choice quotes and quips. You can read the Chrysler's PR-filtered version on <a href="http://twitter.com/Chrysler">its Twitter feed</a>, but here are our favorites:<br />
<blockquote>
<div>From the true: "Brands and companies don't die. They are victims of homicide."<br />
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To the sublime: "Viper important to image of "my brand" [Dodge]"<br />
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To the ridiculous: "The further away you are from Detroit the less you know the facts about the auto industry."<br />
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To the more ridiculous: "I liken management to X-Men... all have special abilities."<br />
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To the funny/creepy: Ad agency interviewed him before creating Super Bowl spot. "I had to smoke a cigarette," afterwards, he joked.<br />
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To the important: "Fiat 500 on sale in U.S. at end of the year"</div>
</blockquote>That last bit coincides with <a href="http://green.autoblog.com/2009/06/29/report-u-s-to-get-four-versions-of-fiat-500-by-2011-no-word-o/">earlier</a> <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/22/report-fiat-500-may-come-to-u-s-for-2010-sorry-canada/">reports</a> that the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/tag/Fiat500/">Fiat 500</a> could reach the States as early as this year as a 2011 model. Although the 500's importation into the U.S. has been fast-tracked, there's still some question about whether it will meet U.S. crash and safety standards. We expect to have an exact on sale date soon, and Gilles also said that the all-new 2011 <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/make/jeep/">Jeep</a> <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/tag/grand+cherokee">Grand Cherokee</a> is due to go on sale within the next three months.<br />
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<div class="postgallery"><p><s trong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/fiat-500-4/low/">Fiat 500</a></strong></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/fiat-500-4/low/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/07/070705_f_fiat500_01_thumb nail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/fiat-500-4/low/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/07/070705_f_fiat500_02_thumb nail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/fiat-500-4/low/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/07/070705_f_fiat500_04_thumb nail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/fiat-500-4/low/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/07/070705_f_fiat500_05_thumb nail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/fiat-500-4/low/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/07/070705_f_fiat500_06_thumb nail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><br />
[Source: Chrysler via <a href="http://twitter.com/Chrysler">Twitter</a>]<p style="padding:5px;backgr ound:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/02/11/gilles-fiat-500-on-sale-in-u-s-by-the-end-of-2010/">Gilles: Fiat 500 on sale in U.S. by the end of 2010</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblo g</a> on Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:57:00 EST. Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/02/11/gilles-fiat-500-on-sale-in-u-s-by-the-end-of-2010/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19354814/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/02/11/gilles-fiat-500-on-sale-in-u-s-by-the-end-of-2010/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>

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