The American Music Awards seemed to be taking choreography cues from an auto-industry trade show last night when a Fiat 500 appeared onstage with Jennifer Lopez during her performance of Papi.
With pulsing music, bright lights, spinning backdrops and squads of  dancers, the scene could have been taken from the Detroit auto show.

The car?s latest close-up is part of a collaboration begun earlier this year between Fiat and Lopez, which included placement of the 2012 Fiat 500 convertible in the ?Papi? music video and a 30-second trailer of the video that includes the car. Lopez also appears in the ?My World? and ?Elegance? commercials for the Fiat 500 Cabrio and the special-edition Fiat 500 by Gucci.

The high-profile award-show appearance comes just as the new Fiat subcompact car could use a boost.

By working with Lopez the car maker hopes to attract an audience diverse in age, ethnicity and economic background.

?This appearance allows us to continue to expose the 2012 Fiat 500 to a wide demographic. These past few days have been momentous for Fiat as we have recently revealed the all-new 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show,? said Olivier Francois, the brand?s chief executive.

The 500 model is the spearhead of Fiat?s long-awaited re-entry into the U.S. market after a decades-long absence. The car?s success is a critical part of the company?s strategy and it is unclear what will happen if it winds up a flop.

You can watch the American Music Awards performance here.

http://blogs.wsj.com/drivers-seat/2011/11/21/fiat-500-takes-stage-with-jennifer-lopez-but-will-it-help-sales/?mod=google_news_blog