Fiat's U.S. sales increasing with new ads, 500 Abarth interest

After a slow start, Fiat 500s are starting to move off of dealer lots, according to an article in the Detroit Free Press.

Fiat executives claim that the public debut of the 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth at the Los Angeles auto show and some provocative advertising have led to increased interest in the Fiat brand.

February was the best sales month yet for the model that Fiat chose to reintroduce Americans to sub-$100,000 Italian cars. Some 3,227 Fiat 500s found new homes last month.

When Fiat launched the 500, the company guessed that it would sell 50,000 in the United States every year. But, after selling only 26,294 cars last year, Fiat revised its goal down to 25,000 to 35,000 sales per year.

By Rory Carroll