FCA US and FIAT Brand Paint the Motor City...Rainbow!

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Jun 05, 2015, 10:00 ET

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., June 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

FIAT brand key sponsor of Motor City Pride parade and festival
Participation sustains Company's longstanding support of LGBT employees, customers, communities and issues
2016 Fiat 500X serves as grand marshal of 2015 parade

Each year, during the first weekend in June, Detroit is blanketed in the colors of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) culture at Motor City Pride. The two-day festival, complete with a parade, is the largest LGBT gathering in Michigan.

As a key sponsor of the festivities and the lead sponsor of the parade, FCA US and the FIAT brand will celebrate its longstanding commitment to LGBT employees, communities, customers and issues for its fourth consecutive year on June 6 and 7.

A specially wrapped all-new 2016 Fiat 500X, the brand's first all-wheel-drive vehicle, will lead many of Michigan's 300 same-sex couples, who married on March 22, 2014, as grand marshal of the Motor City Pride parade. In addition, FIAT brand ambassadors also will showcase the brand's exciting vehicles while providing giveaways for festival goers. The parade will begin at Noon on June 7, in front of Chrysler House located at 719 Griswold Street and end at Hart Plaza in Detroit.

"We are honored to have such a prominent role with this year's Motor City Pride," said Jason Stoicevich, Head of FIAT Brand North America. "Supporting the LGBT community and the diversity of all of our customers is paramount to the FIAT brand. I am proud of what FCA US and the brand have achieved in creating an inclusive work culture, a culture that helps generate vehicles that resonate with diverse buyers and communities."

The horsepower behind the FCA US sponsorship of Motor City Pride is its LGBT Employee Resource Group: the Gay and Lesbian Alliance (GALA). GALA is one of six groups that enable FCA US employees to celebrate their special attributes together, while bringing awareness and value through volunteer and charitable activities.

"Motor City Pride is empowered by the support of FCA US and the FIAT brand, helping to amplify the growth and significance of this annual event," said Dave Wait, Chairperson – Motor City Pride. "We are so thankful for this collaborative partnership, sharing the drive to achieve full equality and respect for all people in Michigan."

FCA US was a leader among U.S. employers in providing domestic partner benefits to its employees in 2000 and has achieved a perfect score of 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign's (HRC) Corporate Equality Index nine times since the benchmark was established. The HRC is the educational arm of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, America's largest civil rights organization, and is dedicated to achieving LGBT equality. The Company is the only automaker to consistently achieve a perfect CEI rating.

FCA US also is a member of the Michigan Competitive Workforce Coalition seeking an update to Michigan's anti-discrimination law prohibiting discrimination because of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Media Advisory: FCA US and the FIAT Brand Join Detroit-area LGBT Leaders to Celebrate the Growth of Motor City Pride and Address Emerging Issues

About Motor City Pride
Motor City Pride is a volunteer-driven event celebrating the lives of Michigan's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender citizens. A weekend packed with multiple events including a family picnic, golf outing, Commitment Ceremony and parade. Motor City Pride culminates as the largest LGBT gathering in Michigan and is located in the heart of the region at beautiful and historic Hart Plaza, located on the riverfront in downtown Detroit.

About FCA US LLC
FCA US LLC is a North American automaker with a new name and a long history. Headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, FCA US is a member of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) family of companies. FCA US designs, engineers, manufactures and sells vehicles under the Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and FIAT brands as well as the SRT performance vehicle designation. The company also distributes the Alfa Romeo 4C model and Mopar products. FCA US is building upon the historic foundations of Chrysler, the innovative American automaker first established by Walter P. Chrysler in 1925; and Fiat, founded in Italy in 1899 by pioneering entrepreneurs, including Giovanni Agnelli.

FCA, the seventh-largest automaker in the world based on total annual vehicle sales, is an international automotive group. FCA is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "FCAU" and on the Mercato Telematico Azionario under the symbol "FCA."

About FIAT Brand
The FIAT brand stands for discovery through passionate self-expression. That philosophy is embodied by the iconic Fiat 500 or Cinquecento – a small car that lives big. Italian at heart and rooted in a rich heritage, the 500 is sold in more than 100 countries around the world and is synonymous with modern, simple design blending form, function, technology and a pride of ownership that is genuine.

In North America, the Fiat 500 was introduced in March 2011 and was soon followed by the Fiat 500c (Cabrio), the high-performance Fiat 500 Abarth and Abarth Cabrio, the fully electric Fiat 500e and the five-passenger Fiat 500L. The FIAT brand continues to expand with the introduction of the Fiat 500X, an all-new crossover that combines Italian style with functionality, performance and all-wheel drive confidence.

About the 2016 Fiat 500X
The 2016 Fiat 500X is the latest addition to the FIAT lineup in North America, delivering the Italian design and engaging driving dynamics that are synonymous with the FIAT brand. The 500X offers an advanced all-wheel-drive system, functionality, and a full array of safety, comfort and convenience features. The all-new crossover features two engine options, an available nine-speed transmission, and an all-wheel drive system with a disconnecting rear axle for improved fuel efficiency. Loaded with up to 70 advanced safety and security features, the Fiat 500X is available in five trim models and 12 exterior colors to offer the personalization options that FIAT vehicles are known for. Crafted in Italy at the Melfi assembly plant, the all-new Fiat 500X is arriving at FIAT studios in North America now.

SOURCE FCA US LLC