Satan Wants to Sell You a VW; The Pope Says Buy a Fiat Instead

This week, while Volkswagen/Audi are reeling from the hellish nightmare of  Dieselgate, Fiat has received divine intervention and one of the greatest publicity scores of all-time. Pope Francis is currently tooling around the United States in an eco-friendly Fiat 500L that gets nearly 27 miles to the gallon.

Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reports that the people’s Pope has not just one, but six Fiat 500s that he will use as he travels in the U.S. I had the opportunity to test drive a 2016 Fiat 500L at an Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Willow Springs driving event last week and it’s a fun ride.

While the Abarth version is still my favorite 500, I managed to get a manual 500L to move around the course like a bat out of hell– ….well, it’s still a spirited car but it could definitely use more horsepower.

But the Pope and his black 500L have been making the rounds all over the press and on television too. Check out President Obama and the First Lady welcoming the Pontiff as he rolls up in his shiny, new Fiat in the White House video below.

I mean, how cool is that? The folks at FCA must be besides themselves with all the free press. Hell, Heck, I bet there’s plenty of good Catholics out there looking at the mini-wagon in a whole new light.

If the Fiat 500L is good enough for the Bishop of Rome, then sign me up Lord. But why stop there? Just like actor Danny Trejo sells Dodge to Latinos – why not hire the Pontiff to sell Fiats to the faithful?

By the way, Trejo is a real champ and supports a worthy nonprofit called A Walk on Water (no relation to Jesus) that  everyone should check out.

Fiat just needs to get the Vatican on board (if they aren’t already) and shoot a few commercials and run them during sporting events on TV. Or if the Pope is too busy or there is a conflict of interest –  why not create a special edition 2016 Fiat 500V – The Vatican Edition.

Instead of an all black 500, I’d opt for an all white or “Bianco” version with a matching white leather interior, maybe a little gold leaf trim on the door handles and a crucifix shaped rear view mirror, but only if it could be tastefully done.

Add a giant sunroof, 20-inch wheels, Brembo brakes and a Beats by Dr. Dre audio system and you have a rolling slice of heaven on earth.

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