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Maserati and Lamborghini pull out of Iran

Daimler is out, Toyota is out, Porsche is out, Hyundai, PSA Peugeot-Citroën are out and when it comes to selling cars in Iran, now Maserati and Lamborghini are out, too. The definitive pullouts of those last two automakers are said to be reactions to a press conference held by a group called United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI). The group highlights businesses that sell in both the US market and Iran, and works to get those businesses to choose one market or the other.
UANI said it had sent letters to Maserati and Lamborghini about their dealings in Iran, but that the letters went unanswered. Mark Wallace, head of UANI and a former US ambassador to the United Nations, held a press conference in October of last year that referenced the two companies. Apparently Lamborghini contacted Wallace just after the press conference and told him "they were out, they weren't doing any business in Iran anymore."
Discussions with Maserati then took place, and the Italian automaker said it had been out of Iran ever since Fiat announced it was leaving the country in May 2011. UANI said Maserati had been in talks with an Iranian distributor, however, and that distributor was continuing to use the Maserati name. The carmaker has since cut all ties with Iranian interests and has prevented its name from being used, adding that its new models will not be able to be sold there because they won't pass regulations the country's regulations.

Fiat turns to Funny or Die with new Italian-centric video spots

The web video might be the sitcom of the modern age as the main way people consume comedy. Even if you don't want to sit down and watch a TV show, you can dedicate just a few minutes for a laugh from a brief film. Fiat found huge success last year with its Backseat Italians ad for the 500L on Funny or Die, with over 1.6 million views as of this writing. So the Italian automaker is playing on its country's stereotypes again in a new online series called Neighbors.
The concept behind the videos is super-simple. An attractive Italian couple with their Fiat 500L moves in next door to a stereotypical suburban family and hilarity ensues. Most of the shorts play up humorous misunderstandings in translation like with the phrase "When in Rome..." So far, the best of the bunch is probably Express Lane to Trouble about what happens when you drink too much espresso. If you like what you see, there are still two more episodes on the way soon.
Scroll down to watch all five current videos. They're only a few minutes long and should at least provide a good chuckle. You can also read Fiat's press release about the stunt, below.

Ram confirms Fiat Doblo-based ProMaster City for North America

As Sergio Marchionne flies back and forth between Turin and Auburn Hills, he doesn't just bring Chryslers back with him to Italy to sell as Lancias. He also brings Fiat products to sell Stateside under various Chrysler labels, chief among them Ram.
The former Dodge truck brand launched the Fiat Ducato as the Ram ProMaster earlier this year, giving it a greater foothold in the commercial vehicle market and a replacement for the Sprinter which Mercedes-Benz took back from its Chrysler-partnership days. Now Auburn Hills has announced that Ram will begin selling the Fiat Doblo on this side of the Atlantic as the Ram ProMaster City.
The Doblo, which was twice named International Van of the Year, has sold over 1.3 million units worldwide. Whether that includes the rebadged version which Vauxhall and Opel sell as the Combo is another matter, as is the question over how much longer Fiat and General Motors will continue that particular partnership as the ties between Fiat and Chrysler deepen.