Coordinates	55°45′06″N37°37′04″N
company name	Fiat S.p.A.
company logo
company type	Società per azioni
traded as
foundation	11 July 1899 in Turin, Italy
founder	Giovanni Agnelli
location	Turin, Italy
key people	John Elkann (Chairman), Sergio Marchionne (CEO)
industry	Automotive, media, financial services, metallurgy
products	Autos, auto parts, financing, newspaper publishing, ad sales
Production	2,094,048 units (automobiles and LCVs, 2010)
revenue	€35.88 billion (2010)
operating income	€992 million (2010)
net income	€179 million (2010)
assets	€73.44 billion (end 2010)
equity	€12.46 billion (end 2010)
num employees	137,800 (end 2010)
subsid
homepage	fiatspa.com
intl	yes }}

Fiat S.p.A., an acronym for ''Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino'' (), is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial and industrial group based in Turin in the Piedmont region. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli. Fiat has also manufactured railroad vehicles, tanks and aircraft. As of 2009, Fiat (not including Chrysler) is the world's ninth largest carmaker as well as Italy's largest carmaker.

Fiat-based cars are built around the world; the largest number produced outside Italy are built in Brazil, where they are best-sellers. It also has factories in Argentina and Poland. Fiat has a long history of licensing its products to other countries. Joint venture operations are found in Italy, France, Turkey, India, Pakistan, China, Serbia and Russia.

Agnelli's grandson Gianni Agnelli was Fiat chairman from 1966 until 1996, and honorary chairman from then until his death on 24 January 2003, while Cesare Romiti served as chairman. After their removal, Paolo Fresco served as chairman and Paolo Cantarella as CEO. Umberto Agnelli then took over as chairman from 2002 to 2004. After Umberto Agnelli's death on 28 May 2004, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo was named chairman, but Agnelli heir John Elkann became vice chairman at age 28 and other family members are on the board. At this point, CEO Giuseppe Morchio immediately offered his resignation. Sergio Marchionne was named to replace him on 1 June 2004.

In September 2010, shareholders approved a plan to split Fiat's industrial businesses from the group. Truck manufacturer Iveco, farm gear maker CNH Global NV and the industrial part of Fiat Powertrain Technologies were demerged into a new entity, Fiat Industrial, at the beginning of 2011. Fiat Industrial has a separate listing on the Milan stock exchange beginning 3 January 2011.

History

Giovanni Agnelli founded Fiat in 1899 with several investors and led the company until his death in 1945, while Vittorio Valletta administered the firm's daily activities. Its first car the 3 ½ CV (of which only eight copies were built, all bodied by Alessio of Turin) strongly resembled contemporary Benz, and had a boxer twin engine. In 1908, the first Fiat was exported to the US. That same year, the first Fiat aircraft engine was produced. Also around the same time, Fiat taxis became somewhat popular in Europe. By 1910, Fiat was the largest automotive company in Italy — a position it has retained since. That same year, a plant licensed to produce Fiats in Poughkeepsie, NY, made its first car. This was before the introduction of Ford's assembly line in 1913. Owning a Fiat at that time was a sign of distinction. The cost of a Fiat in the US was between $3,600 and $8,600, compared to US$825 the Model T in 1908.

Upon the entry of the US into World War I in 1917, the factory was shut down as US regulations became too burdensome. At the same time, Fiat had to devote all of its factories to supplying the Allies with aircraft, engines, machine guns, trucks, and ambulances. After the war, Fiat introduced its first tractor, the 702. By the early 1920s, Fiat had a market share in Italy of 80%.

In 1921, workers seized Fiat's plants and hoisted the red flag of communism over them. Agnelli responded by quitting the company. However, the Italian Socialist Party and its ally organization, the General Confederation of Labor, in an effort to effect a compromise with the centrist parties ordered the occupation ended. In 1922, Fiat began to build the famous Lingotto car factory — then the largest in Europe  — which opened in 1923. It was the first Fiat factory to use assembly lines; by 1925, Fiat controlled 87% of the Italian car market. In 1928, with the 509, Fiat included insurance in the purchase price.

Fiat made military machinery and vehicles during World War II for the Army and ''Regia Aeronautica'' and later for the Germans. Fiat made obsolete fighter aircraft like the biplane CR.42, which was one of the most common Italian aircraft, along with Savoia-Marchettis, as well as light tanks (obsolete compared to their German and Soviet counterparts) and armoured vehicles. The best Fiat aircraft was the G.55 fighter, which arrived too late and in too limited numbers. In 1945 — the year Mussolini was overthrown — the Italian Committee of National Liberation removed the Agnelli family from leadership roles in Fiat because of its ties to Mussolini's government. These were not returned until 1963, when Giovanni's grandson, Gianni, took over as general manager until 1966, as chairman until 1996.

Gianni Agnelli

Among the younger Agnelli's first steps after gaining control of Fiat was a massive reorganization of the company management, which had previously been highly centralized, with little provision for the delegation of authority and decision-making. Such a system was effective in the past, but lacked the responsiveness and flexibility needed by Fiat's steady expansion, and the growth of its international operations in the 1960s. The company was reorganized on a product-line basis, with two main product groups — one for passenger cars, the other for trucks and tractors — and a number of semi-independent division and subsidiaries. Top management, freed from responsibility for day-by-day operations of the company, was able to devote its efforts to more far-reaching goals. In 1967, Fiat made its first acquisition when it purchased Autobianchi; with sales amounting to $1.7 billion, it outstripped Volkswagen, its main European competitor, and in 1968 produced some 1,750,000 vehicles while its sales volume climbed to $2.1 billion. According to ''Newsweek'' in 1968, Fiat was "the most dynamic automaker in Europe...[and] may come closest to challenging the worldwide supremacy of Detroit." Then, in 1969, it purchased controlling interests in Ferrari and Lancia. At the time, Fiat was a conglomerate, owning Alitalia, toll highways, a typewriter and office machine manufacturer, electronics and electrical equipment firms, a paint company, a civil engineering firm, and an international construction company. Following up on an agreement Valletta had made with Soviet officials in 1966, Agnelli constructed the AvtoVAZ plant in the new city of Togliattigrad on the Volga. This began operation in 1970, producing a local version of the Fiat 124 as the Lada. On his initiative, Fiat automobile and truck plants were also constructed in industrial centers of Yugoslavia, Poland, Bulgaria, and Romania.

Despite offering a relatively competitive range of cars, Fiat was not immune from the financial pressures that the auto industry confronted following the 1973 oil price shock. Towards the end of 1976 it was announced that the Libyan government was to take a 9.6% share holding in the company in return for a capital injection worth an equivalent of £250 million. The size of the Libyan investment is apparent when it is compared to the £310 million IMF loan that the Italian government was trying to negotiate at the time. Other aspects of the Libyan agreement included the construction of a truck and bus plant at Tripoli. Chairman Agnelli candidly described the deal as "a classic petro-money recycling operation which will strengthen the Italian reserves, provide Fiat with fresh capital and give the group greater tranquility in which to carry out its investment programmes". Equally noteworthy was the fact that despite the dilutive effect of the Libyan investment on existing shareholders, the company's largest shareholder, the Agnelli family, retained a 30% stake in the recapitalised business.

In 1979, the company became a holding company when it spun off its various businesses into autonomous companies, one of them being Fiat Auto. That same year, sales reached an all-time high in the US, corresponding to the Iranian Oil Crisis. However, when gas prices fell again after 1981, Americans began purchasing sport utility vehicles, minivans, and pickup trucks in larger numbers (marking a departure from their past preference for large cars). Also, Japanese automakers had been taking an ever-larger share of the car market, increasing at more than half a percent a year. Consequently, in 1984, Fiat and Lancia withdrew from the United States market. In 1989, it did the same in the Australian market, although it remained in New Zealand.

In 1986, Fiat acquired Alfa Romeo from the Italian government. Also, in 1986 15% of Fiat company stock was still owned by Libya, an investment dating back to the mid-seventies. US foreign policy under President Reagan's administration canceled a Pentagon contract to produce earth movers with Fiat and pressured the company into brokering a buyout of the Libyan investment. In 1992, two top corporate officials in the Fiat Group were arrested for political corruption. A year later, Fiat acquired Maserati. In 1995 Alfa Romeo exited the US market. Maserati re-entered the US market under Fiat in 2002. Since then, Maserati sales there have been increasing briskly.

Paolo Fresco

Paolo Fresco became chairman of Fiat in 1998 with the hope that the veteran of General Electric would bring more emphasis on shareholder value to Fiat. By the time he took power, Fiat's market share in Italy had fallen to 41% from around 62% in 1984. However, a Jack Welch-like management style would be much harsher than that used by the Italians (e.g., precarious versus lifetime employment). Instead, Fresco focused on offering more incentives for good performance, including compensation using stock options for top and middle management.

However, his efforts were frustrated by union objections. Unions insisted that pay raises be set by length of tenure, rather than performance. Another conflict was over his preference for informality (the founder, Giovanni Agnelli, used to be a cavalry officer). He often referred to other managers by their first name, although company tradition obliged one to refer to others using their titles (e.g., "Chairman Fresco"). The CEO of the company, Managing Director Paolo Cantarella, ran the day-to-day affairs of the company, while Fresco determined company strategy and especially acted as a negotiator for the company. In fact, many speculated the main reason he was chosen for the job was to sell Fiat Auto (although Fresco fervently denied it). In 1999, Fiat formed CNH Global by merging New Holland NV and Case Corporation.

Partnership with GM

Over time, most automotive companies around the world have become holding companies of foreign as well as domestic competitors. For example, General Motors owned a controlling interest in Saab Automobile and, until recently, in Isuzu. Fresco signed a joint-venture agreement in 2000 under which GM acquired a stake in Fiat Auto. This made it appear as if Fiat was next, although GM has made joint ventures with other companies (such as Toyota) without acquiring them. Nevertheless, Fiat did not see the GM partnership as a threat, rather as an opportunity to off-load its automotive business. The agreement with GM included a put option, which held that Fiat would have the right to sell GM its auto division after four years at fair market value. If GM balked, it would be forced to pay a penalty of $2 billion. When Fiat tried to sell GM the company, GM chose the penalty. On 13 May 2005 GM and Fiat officially dissolved their agreement.

The current CEO views alliances such as these as the deciding factor of the future success of Fiat. In 2005 Fiat was courting Ford.

As part of the recent divestitures, under the guidance of CEO Giuseppe Morchio in 2003 Fiat shed its insurance sector, which it was operating through Toro Assicurazioni to the DeAgostini Group. In the same year, Fiat sold its aviation business, FiatAvio to Avio Holding. In February 2004, the company sold its interest in Fiat Engineering, as well as its stake in Edison.

Fiat faces a multitude of threats, including rising steel prices (up by 16–30% beginning of 2008), a strong Euro, and increased competition from Japanese and South Korean car manufacturers in Europe. Although the light-vehicle market share of Japanese and South Korean automakers in Europe is less than in the US (12.5% and 3.9%, respectively versus 30% and 3.9% in the US), it has been increasing steadily at about a half a percent a year. In April and May 2009, the possibility of a take over of Adam Opel GmbH, a subsidiary of General Motors, was being discussed between the two companies. The deal fell through and General Motors held on to Opel/Vauxhall.

Sergio Marchionne

Sergio Marchionne has impressed investors since taking over as CEO in June, 2004. Losses have fallen steadily since 2002, and Q4 of FY2005 saw its first profit in 17 quarters, and had a profit of €196M for the first 9 months of FY2006. Mr. Marchionne has reduced Fiat's managerial bureaucracy and changed its tone to a focus on markets and profit. While the chairman, Luca di Montezemolo, dealt with politicians and unions, Marchionne rebuilt the car business. The success of the Grande Punto model has in large part been responsible for the turnaround in Fiat's fortunes, but the quite successful Bravo (successor to the Stilo) and the award winning 500 have really cemented it. Fiat has formed a joint venture with India's TATA Motors and China's Chery motors. Under Marchionne it has also re-entered several large markets that it had exited years before, such as Mexico and Australia. In December 2008, Marchionne announced Fiat have to become one of the top five automakers to survive in the long run. In 2009, Fiat expressed interest in acquiring General Motors' Opel and South American operation. GM declined Fiat's offer. In Marchionne´s leadership Fiat returned to the United States and Canada markets with the new 500.

Acquisition of Chrysler

On 20 January 2009, Fiat S.p.A. and Chrysler LLC announced that they were going to form a global alliance. Under the terms of the agreement, Fiat would take a 20% stake in Chrysler and gain access to its North American dealer network in exchange for providing Chrysler with the platform to build smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles in the US and reciprocal access to Fiat's global distribution network.

The new equity holder would have the option of increasing that to as much as 35%. Fiat, the stronger of the two, would not immediately put cash into Chrysler. Instead it would obtain its stake mainly in exchange for covering the cost of retooling a Chrysler plant to produce one or more Fiat models to be sold in the US. Fiat would also provide engine and transmission technology to help Chrysler introduce new, fuel-efficient small cars. The deal is the latest maneuver by Fiat's chief, Sergio Marchionne, who has pulled the Italian company back from the brink of collapse since taking over in 2004. The partnership would provide each company with economies of scale and geographical reach at a time when both are struggling to compete with larger and more global rivals like Toyota, Volkswagen and the alliance of Renault S.A. and Nissan.

On 30 April 2009, Fiat announced the alliance with Chrysler, at first Fiat will get 20% stake and it can become 51% owner of Chrysler once the government loans are repaid.

Fiat would not have to pay any money for its 20% of Chrysler. On 7 June 2009, the Indiana State Police Pension Fund, the Indiana Teacher's Retirement Fund, and the state's Major Moves Construction Fund asked the US Supreme Court to delay the sale of Chrysler to Fiat while they challenge the deal. The funds argued that the sale went against US bankruptcy law because it unlawfully rewarded unsecured creditors ahead of secured creditors. On 9 June 2009, the Supreme Court lifted the temporary hold, clearing the way for Fiat to acquire Chrysler. See Indiana State Police Pension Trust v. Chrysler for more information. On 10 June, the Supreme Court announced that Fiat was now an owner of the new Chrysler Company a.k.a Chrysler Group LLC. Marchionne took over as the CEO of Chrysler following its emergence from bankruptcy. Under his leadership Chrysler has taken on a structure similar to that of Fiat and has released, in quick succession, a large number of completely redesigned or refreshed vehicles. The Fiat 500 marked it Fiat's return to the United States & Canada since 1984, and the car went on sale in 2011. Prior to this, North America still had Fiats mainly in Mexico, although Fiat's Mexican lineup is larger than in the United States & Canada.

On 11 April 2011, Fiat increased its share in Chrysler to 30% when the second of three performance objectives was achieved. Fiat S.p.A. reported on 24 May 2011 that Fiat used US$ 1,268 million to increase its stake to 46%, following the refinancing of Chrysler’s debt to the U.S. and Canadian governments. On 25 May autonews.com reported that Fiat could buy government stakes in Chrysler as soon as the end of July 2011, increasing its total stake to 54%.

On May 2011 was also revealled that Fiat can actually increase its stake in the Chrysler Group to more than 70 percent using further options.

As of 22nd of July 2011 Fiat owns 53.5 percent of Chrysler on a fully diluted basis, the Auburn Hills, Michigan-based company said in a regulatory filing. Fiat is on track to hold 58.5 percent of Chrysler by the end of the year.

Activities

The group's activities were initially focused on the industrial production of cars, industrial and agricultural vehicles. Over time it has diversified into many other fields, and the group now has activities in a wide range of sectors in industry and financial services. It is Italy's largest industrial concern. It also has significant worldwide operations, operating in 61 countries with 1,063 companies that employ over 223,000 people, 111,000 of whom are outside Italy.

Principal subsidiaries

Fiat's principal subsidiaries are:Bioengineering International BV; Business Solutions S.p.A.; Chrysler Group LLC; Comau Pico Holding Corp.; Comau Service S.p.A.; Comau System S.p.A.; Deutsch Fiat GmbH; Ferrari S.p.A.; Fiat Acquisition Corporation; Fiat-Allis BV; Fiat Automoveis, s.a.; Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A.; FiatAvio S.p.A.; Fiat Concord SA; Fiat do Brazil SA; Fiat Financing Holding BV; Fiat France SA; Fiat USA, Inc.; IHF SA; Itedi S.p.A.; Magneti Marelli S.p.A.; Maserati S.p.A.; Teksid S.p.A.; Toro Assicurazioni S.p.A..

Automotive

''For Fiat branded cars see Fiat Automobiles''

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Fiat is the largest vehicle manufacturer in Italy, with cars ranging from small Fiat city cars to sports cars made by Ferrari, and vans and trucks such as the Ducato. Besides Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A, the Fiat Group automotive companies include Ferrari S.p.A. and Maserati S.p.A. The Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. companies include: Abarth & C. S.p.A., Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A., Chrysler Group LLC, Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., Fiat Professional and Lancia Automobiles S.p.A.. Ferrari S.p.A. is 90% owned by the Fiat Group.

The European Car of the Year award, Europe's premier automotive trophy for the past 40 years, has been awarded twelve times to the Fiat Group, more than any other manufacturer. Most recently the Fiat Nuova 500 has won the award for European Car of the Year 2008.

List of Fiat Group models which have won European Car of the Year:

1967: Fiat 124

1970: Fiat 128

1972: Fiat 127

1980: Lancia Delta

1984: Fiat Uno

1989: Fiat Tipo

1995: Fiat Punto

1996: Fiat Bravo/Brava

1998: Alfa Romeo 156

2001: Alfa Romeo 147

2004: Fiat Panda

2008: Fiat 500

Commercial vehicles

On 17 April 2007 Fiat Automobiles' light commercial vehicle unit ''Fiat Veicoli Commerciali'' was rebranded as Fiat Professional. Some of Fiat's light commercial vehicle products include the Fiat Ducato, Fiat Scudo and Fiat Doblò Cargo.

Fiat's main commercial vehicles unit Iveco was demerged into Fiat Industrial at the beginning of 2011. This encompasses trucks (Iveco and Seddon Atkinson), buses (Iveco and Irisbus) and firefighting vehicles (Camiva, Iveco and Magirus). For information on their military vehicles, see Ariete.

Components

The major Italian component maker Magneti Marelli is owned by Fiat, and in turn owns the other brands Carello, Automotive Lighting, Siem, Cofap, Jaeger, Solex, Veglia Borletti, Vitaloni, and Weber; other accessory brands include Brazilian Cofap.

Metallurgical products

Fiat owns Teksid S.p.A., the largest iron foundry group in the world with a production capacity of approximately 600,000 tons annually. The company was established in December 1978, and designs and produces cylinder blocks, cylinder heads, exhaust manifolds, drive shafts, camshafts and other components for automobiles and commercial vehicles. Teksid, which is specialized in casting and processing iron, has plants in France, Portugal, Poland, Brazil, Mexico and China. Since 2007, Teksid S.p.A. runs also Teksid Aluminum S.r.l. a company specialized in casting and producing auto components from aluminium alloys.

Production systems

Production systems are made mainly through Comau S.p.A. (now Comau Systems), which bought the American Pico, Renault Automation and Sciaky and produces industrial automation systems. In the 1970s and 1980s, the company became a pioneer in the use of industrial robotics for the assembly of motor vehicles. Fiat assembly plants are among the best automated and advanced in the world.

Services

An insurance company, Toro Assicurazioni, allowed Fiat to control a relevant part of this market (also with minor companies like Lloyd Italico) and to interact with some associated banks. Toro Assicurazioni was acquired by the giant insurance company Assicurazioni Generali and is no longer related to the Fiat Group. Fiat still retains control of Augusta assicurazioni.

Construction

Ingest Facility and Fiat Engineering work in various fields of construction, while IPI is a mediation company that also deals with the management of real estate properties.

Information technology

Fiat Group is present in IT fields and in communications with ICT — Information & Communication Technology, Espin, Global Value, TeleClient, London and Atlanet.

Publishing and communication

Fiat group also owns important editorial brands, like ''La Stampa'' (created in 1926 for the famous newspaper), Itedi, and Italiana Edizioni. Some national and local newspapers are owned or otherwise controlled by the different companies. A specialised advertising space reseller is Publikompass, supported by the Consorzio Fiat Media Center.

Other activities

Fiat Gesco, KeyG Consulting, Sadi Customs Services, Easy Drive, RM Risk Management and Servizio Titoli are minor companies that work for public services, delivering services in economics and financial fields. Other activities include industrial securitisation (Consorzio Sirio), treasury (Fiat Geva), Fiat Information & Communication Services.

Fiat supports the ''Fondazione Giovanni Agnelli'', an important foundation for social and economic research. Palazzo Grassi, a famous ancient building in Venice, now a museum and formerly supported by Fiat, was eventually sold to the French businessman François Pinault in January 2005.

Fiat has recently begun sponsoring the Jamaican bobsledding team and promoting this sponsorship through commercials. Many like Jamaican athletes because they see them as underdogs and as people who enjoy life. While Volvo sponsors golf, Mercedes tennis, and Hyundai soccer, Fiat is trying to look unique and more light-hearted. Further, the team is relatively cheap to sponsor.

The group is present in many countries, not only in the West. Notably, it was one of the first companies to build factories in Soviet territory, with the best known examples in Vladivostok, Kiev and Togliatti. The Russian government later continued the joint venture under the name AutoVAZ (known as Lada outside the former USSR). The venture was most notable for the Lada Riva. Fiat also has a subsidiary in Poland at Tychy, (formerly called FSM) where Fiat's small cars (the 126, Cinquecento, Seicento, Nuova 500 and Ford Ka) and small diesel engines are made. Fiat also has factories in Argentina, Brazil, and Italy. In addition, its cars are produced through licensing and joint-venture agreements in China, Egypt, France, India, South Africa, Turkey, and Vietnam. Local variants of Fiats are produced at these factories as well as a world car, the Palio. As of 2005, the company holds the first position in the Brazilian automobile market with a market share close to 25%.

Fiat has articulated that it wishes to focus on expanding into third-world markets because, in the words of former chairman Paolo Fresco, "those are the only markets where you can expect growth. And it is true that Fiat's specialization in smaller cars puts it at an advantage in those markets, but cars sold in third-world countries tend to be much simpler than those sold elsewhere (e.g., most lack air conditioning), and thus require much less money to develop.

Fiat is also present in the combat vehicle sector through a consortium between Iveco and OTO Melara, their most notable product being the LAV B1 Centauro.

Former activities

Agricultural and construction equipment

Fiat Group previously owned CNH Global (which includes Case Construction, Case IH, Flexi-Coil, Kobelco, New Holland, New Holland Construction, and Steyr); and Fiat-Hitachi Construction. This was demerged into Fiat Industrial at the start of 2011. CNH is the second largest agricultural equipment manufacturer in the world after Deere & Company and is also the third largest producer of construction equipment after Caterpillar Inc. and Komatsu. When part of Fiat Group, CNH accounted for around 20% of its total revenues.

Aviation and motorcycles

Fiat, as Fiat Aviazione, was an important aircraft manufacturer, focused mainly on military aviation. After World War I, Fiat consolidated several Italian small aircraft manufacturers, like Pomilio and Ansaldo. Most famous were Fiat biplane fighter aircraft of the 1930s, Fiat CR.32 and Fiat CR.42. Other notable designs were fighters CR.20, G.50, G.55 and a bomber, the Fiat BR.20. In 1950s, the company designed the G.91 light ground attack plane. In 1969, Fiat Aviazione merged with Aerfer to create Aeritalia.

In 1959, Piaggio came under the control of the Agnelli family. In 1964, the aeronautical and motorcycle divisions split to become independent companies. The aeronautical division was named IAM Rinaldo Piaggio. Today the aeronautical company Piaggio Aero is controlled by the family of Piero Ferrari, which also hold 10% of the carmaker Ferrari.

The motorcycle division, Vespa, thrived until 1992, when Giovanni Alberto Agnelli became CEO — but Agnelli was already suffering from cancer, and died in 1997. In 1999, Morgan Grenfell Private Equity acquired Piaggio.

Leisure

The Fiat Group owned the Sestriere skiing facilities; the village in the Alps is a creation of the Agnelli family. The Sestriere skiing facilities were sold by the group in 2006.

Enterprises outside Italy

''See list of Fiat Group assembly sites''

Fiat was a key player in developing motor industries for a number of countries from the 1950s, particularly in Eastern Europe, Spain, Egypt, Ethiopia and Turkey. The AutoVAZ state works Lada products in Tolyatti (Togliatti), Russia, were Fiat based, as were SEAT products of Spain. Lada now is controlled by Renault, and SEAT by Volkswagen. A small number of Fiats were built in Bulgaria. Among Fiat's earliest foreign assembly plants was one in Poughkeepsie, New York, between 1910 and 1913. The building is now part of the Marist College campus.

Fiat Automóveis, Brazil

Fiat Automóveis S.A., a subsidiary of Fiat S.p.A., began making automobiles in Brazil in 1976 beginning with the production of the Fiat 147, the Brazilian version of the Italian Fiat 127, produced until 1986. More than 10,000,000 units were produced in Fiat Automóveis factory in Betim since 1976, plus 232,807 units in the Fiat Argentina plant of Córdoba. This car also were built in the CCA plant in Bogotá, Colombia.

Launched in July 1979, the 147 was the first mass produced car that ran on ethanol as fuel instead of petrol. The performance slightly increased and fuel consumption was 30% higher but the cost of the alcohol was a quarter of the gasoline because, at that time, petrol had become expensive as a consequence of the 1979 oil crisis. This version was nicknamed ''cachacinha'' (little cachaça) because it had the scent of that Brazilian drink. In October 1984 Fiat Automóveis introduce the Fiat Uno, as a 1985 model. Currently, the car is sold as the Fiat Mille, as an entry-level model, and received its most recent facelift for the 2004 model year. From 1984 until 2006, up to 2,000,000 Fiat Unos were made in Brazil. The production of the world car — the Fiat Palio – began in 1996.

After the successful 2003 introduction of flexible-fuel vehicles in the Brazilian market, Fiat Automóveis launched its first flex model in March 2004, the Fiat Palio, followed by the Siena and Palio Weekend. Fiat sold 665,514 vehicles in Brazil in 2008, allowing the carmaker to continue as the market leader for seven years in a row. Flex fuel automobiles represented almost 100 percent of the car sales in 2008, and 92 percent of all light-duty trucks sold.

In 2006 Fiat introduced the Fiat Siena Tetra fuel, a four-fuel car developed under Magneti Marelli of Fiat Brazil. This automobile can run as a flex-fuel on 100% ethanol (E100); or on E20-E25 blend, Brazil's normal ethanol gasoline blend; on pure gasoline (though no longer available in Brazil since 1993, it is still used in neighboring countries); or just on natural gas (CNG). The Siena Tetrafuel was engineered to switch from any gasoline-ethanol blend to CNG automatically, depending on the power required by road conditions.

Fiat Argentina

Fiat has been present in Argentina since the beginning of 20th century. There was a Fiat manufacturing plant in Córdoba at least as far back as 1954 when Fiat entered into a joint venture with two local companies to manufacture tractors. In 1959 the construction of a car plant in Caseros was approved, and 1960 saw the production there of the first Argentinian produced Fiat passenger car, a Fiat 600, after the Fiat 1100 Export and after in 1963 the Fiat 1500. In 1977 appears the Fiat 133, just a rebadged Seat 133 but made in Argentina. By 1978 a car manufacturing facility was well established in Córdoba, producing Fiat 128s as well as two models which from the Italian perspective belonged in earlier decades, the 125 (with some derivates) and the 600R.

In 1980 a joint venture with PSA called Sevel Argentina S.A. was begun, which lasted until 1995. The current day automobile manufacturing started with a new factory opened in Córdoba on 20 December 1996. From April 1997 the Siena and Palio models production started.

Production was suspended in the early 2000s as the Argentinean economy went downhill. In 2008 Fiat invested new money and the production of Fiat Siena saloon and the Fiat Palio was started. In October of 2009, a Fiat Siena HLX becomes the 2 million unit produced by Fiat in Argentina. The Fiat Auto Argentina S.A. is Fiat S.p.A. owned company.

Zastava, Serbia

Its first enterprise came in 1955, when it agreed to a deal with Yugoslav carmaker Zastava to assemble Fiats for Eastern Europe. The first cars produced by Zastava were its versions of the Fiat 1300 and Fiat 1400. By 1970, Zastava was producing parts for the newer Fiat 124 and Fiat 125 models, which were assembled in Poland. The Zastava 750, launched in 1962, was Zastava's version of the iconic Fiat 600 minicar. It outlived the car on which it was based, with production lasting until 1981.

Zastavas were not popular outside of Eastern Europe before the 1980s, although they were exported to the US under the Yugo brand beginning in 1985.

The most famous product launched by Zastava is the Zastava 101, a front-wheel drive car based on the Fiat 128, also available as a hatchback version never sold in Italy. Despite numerous bad press about quality and reliability, it sold well in Yugoslavia due to its low price, cheap maintenance costs and simple mechanical design.

With the demise of the aged Zastava 750 in 1981, the minicar gap in the Zastava range was filled by the Zastava Koral, which was best known in Britain and America as the Yugo Tempo. It was based on the 1971 Fiat 127, which was due to be replaced by the Fiat Uno in 1983. It was among the cheapest cars sold in both countries, and it was well received in its class in Britain, but not so in the more competitive US market. But hostility towards Yugoslavia in the wake of the 1992 civil unrest saw a swift ending of imports to both Britain and America.

The Zastava factory in Kragujevac was later bombed, but was rebuilt after the war ended, and production continued at another factory in Kragujevac.

In 1987, Zastava came up with a new car design. The Zastava Florida – known in other markets as the Yugo Sana – was styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro at the ItalDesign studio, featured a range of refined Peugeot engines, and was mechanically similar to the forthcoming and highly acclaimed Fiat Tipo. It was sold in Britain from 1988 to 1992, but was withdrawn from sale for a number of reasons — particularly the domestic upheavals in Yugoslavia and the fall in popularity of the whole Yugo range in Britain. Sales continued in its homeland, with an update at the end of the 1990s.

Zastava did not launch another new car for another 16 years. The 2003 Zastava 10 model was another Fiat design — this time the second generation Punto. It boasts similar features to the Punto and other cars in its class such as the Volkswagen Polo. It is competitively priced compared to other similar-sized cars, including the Punto on which it is based.

Four years after its launch, the Zastava 10 has not yet been sold outside of the former Yugoslavia.

According to Fiat sources a new memorandum of understanding between Fiat and the Serb ministry of economic and regional development about the acquisition of Zastava's Kragujevac plant foresees a new company being set up in which the Italians would have a 70 percent stake and the Serb government 30 percent. Several models are to be introduced to the plant once its upgrade is complete, including possibly the Fiat 500 and the new low cost vehicle that Fiat is introducing to compete with Renault's Dacia brand.

Polski Fiat/FSO (Poland)

Fiat automobiles have been made in Poland since 1920. In 1932, the Polskie Zakłady Inżynieryjne (Polish Engineering Works, PZInż) started the production of Fiat 508, produced until 1939 also as a military vehicle. In 1936 the licence was extended to include the Fiat 518 model. In 1965, the Polish communist government signed a deal with Fiat to produce selected Fiat models in Poland at the FSO factory in Warsaw that had been built in 1951. Production of the new car — the Polski Fiat 125p – began in 1967. It was visually identical to the Fiat 125, but it made use of older Fiat mechanicals which dated back to 1960. The car sold well in its homeland and was soon exported to Western Europe. In 1978 it appeared on a new five-door hatchback, the FSO Polonez, that made use of Fiat 125p running gear. After 1982, Fiat withdrew its licence; since then FSO badge was reinstated.

The Polski Fiat 125p design survived until 1991, by which time almost 1,500,000 had been made in less than 25 years. It was a cheap competitor for similar Eastern European budget cars, and by the time of its demise, many Eastern European carmakers were adopting modern Western style designs in place of the archaic three-box saloons that had barely moved out of the 1960s.

FSO was taken over by Daewoo of South Korea in 1995, by which time the FSO Polonez had been replaced by the Caro, which was little more than a facelift of the 1978 design with underpinnings dating back to 1960. This car was sold in Western Europe until the end of the 1990s, and production finally finished in 2002.

FSO had become independent again in late 2000, after Daewoo went bankrupt and was taken over by General Motors. Despite this, FSO continued to build versions of the Daewoo Matiz and Daewoo Lanos. These cars remain in production to this day, although the target of the factory is to focus on the production of the Chevrolet Aveo which has already been introduced. The Fabryka Samochodów Małolitrażowych (FSM) in Bielsko-Biała and Tychy started the output of the Fiat 126(p) in 1973 and the Cinquecento in 1991.

In 1992 90% of stock of FSM (Fiat Auto Poland, since 1993) was purchased by Fiat Auto. since then it produced Cinquecento, Uno, Seicento, Siena and Palio Weekend models with the capacity up to 200.000 cars a year. In 2003, FSM become the sole producer of Fiat Panda, and in 2007 of new Fiat 500 model. The capacity was increased to ca. 280.000 cars a year, and due to new investments in 2006–2007 will reach over half a million in 2008. This will enable Fiat Auto Poland to include a new model of the Ford Ka, a joint Ford-Fiat project, in its production. It is worth noting both Panda and 500 were selected European car of the year, respectively in 2004 and 2008.

Other Fiat investment in Poland is a joint Fiat-GM venture of Powertrain, producing multijet (see JTD engine) car engines both for Fiat and GM models.

AutoVAZ Lada (Soviet Union/Russia)

In 1966, Fiat helped USSR state industries build a new car factory (AvtoVAZ) on the Volga river. A planned city called Tolyatti (named after Palmiro Togliatti, former Italian Communist Party Secretary) was developed around the factory, which started producing a "people's car" similar to the Volkswagen Beetle and Citroën 2CV of Germany and France. The new Soviet car, called the Lada, was a more spacious offering, in four-door saloon and five-door estate variants. Fiat installed British machine tools supplied by Herbert-BSA of Birmingham for the manufacture of many Lada parts. The 124's design was mechanically upgraded to survive treacherous Russian driving conditions and extremely cold winters. Imports to Western Europe, Canada, and some third world countries began, and by the early 1980s, the cars began to sell well owing to their low price. This car was upgraded to become the Lada Riva (marketing name in some markets) in 1980.

In 1977 the four-wheel drive Lada Niva was introduced which used some proprietary Fiat based components from the car (e.g. engine and gearbox), but the body and four-wheel drive system were VAZ designs. The Riva and Niva are still in production as of 2011.

In June 2008, Fiat and Severstal's Sollers JSC have formalised a number of joint ventures announced last year to make and sell Fiat cars and engines in Russia. They will make up to 90,000 diesel engines and up to 50,000 Fiat Linea sedans a year. Production was scheduled to begin in 2008.

Bulgaria

1967–1971 produced Pirin-Fiat in Lovech, Bulgaria.

Tofaş, Turkey

Tofaş is joint venture owned by Fiat SpA and Koç Holding (37.8% Fiat Group Automobiles, 37.8% Koc and 24.3% others). The Fiat 124 was produced under licence by Tofaş as the Tofaş Murat. This was replaced by a version of the Fiat 131, known as the Tofaş Şahin. Today the Fiat Linea car is amongst those manufactured by the Fiat-Tofas joint venture in Turkey, and the company has 12.1% of the Turkish car market as of 2007.

SEAT, Spain

In Spain, SEAT – Sociedad Española de Automóviles de Turismo (Spanish Touring Car Company) was established with Fiat assistance in 1950, producing Fiat models under its own brand name until 1981, when Fiat withdrew its support. In 1982 SEAT signed a cooperation agreement with the German manufacturer Volkswagen, and by the end of 1986 after a purchase of a majority stake SEAT had become part of the Volkswagen Group. However, production of some Fiat-based models continued, ending with the Fiat-based SEAT (the Marbella) in 1996.

South Africa

In South Africa, the Fiat Uno was assembled under licence by Nissan, which marketed it through its dealerships as the Uno, with limited Fiat branding.

Ethiopia

The Fiat 131, known as the Holland Car DOCC.

Egypt

Following the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, President Gamal Abdel Nasser ordered the EGID (General Intelligence Agent) to establish a state owned automobile company. Nasr was founded in 1960 in Helwan, Egypt. It began producing some Fiat based models, but later produced the Tofaş Şahin under license by Tofaş. The Fiat 128 last model was built in 2008, while the Şahin is in production in Egypt.

Currently the ''El-Mashreq Company'', a part of the Seoudi Group is the main manufacturer of Alfa Romeo and Fiat vehicles for the Egypt market. The AAV was also an Egypt manufacturer for Fiat. They asssembled the Fiat Ritmo in order of Nasr.

Premier Automobiles, India

Premier Automobiles Limited is a Mumbai-based manufacturer of vehicles founded in 1944. In 1951, the company began producing versions of the Fiat 500 for the Indian market. This was followed by the Fiat 1100 in 1954. In 1973, the Premier name was used on its vehicles for the first time, the Premier President, based on the Fiat 1100 as Premier Padmini. In 1984, they launched the Fiat 124-based Premier 118NE and 138D models.

Fiat India Automobiles Private Limited (FIAPL) is a joint venture between Fiat and Mumbai based Tata Motors. It was founded in 1997. Fiat builds the Palio Stile and Palio Stile Multijet in India and imports its Fiat 500 into India from Italy, whereas Fiat has many cars under its hood planned for India like the internationally acclaimed Linea, Grande Punto and Bravo, of which the Linea was released in January 2009 and the Punto in June 2009, both the cars have been well received both by the press and by the public. Bravo will follow in mid 2009. The Fiat plant is situated in Ranjangaon near Pune in Maharashtra and also manufactures the Tata Indica.

Pakistan

Raja Motors are the authorized manufacturers of Fiat motor vehicles in Pakistan since 1948. The manufacturing started with VESPA scooters in 1948. The project was expanded in 2001 to facilitate assembly-cum-manufacturing of Fiat UNO cars. The production facility is located in Landhi Industrial Area, Karachi, Pakistan.

Sri Lanka

In 1964–65, the Ceylon Transport Board contemplated production of buses in Sri Lanka in collaboration with FIAT. With the change of Government in 1965, the CTB opted for a deal with British Leyland.

In 1973, entrepreneur Upali Wijewardena's Upali Motor Company began assembly of the so-called 'Upali-FIAT' 128. Production ended with the introduction of the open-market economy in 1978.

North Korea

The North Korean car manufacturer and dealer Pyeonghwa Motors assembles two Fiat models under licence since 2002: Hwiparam  (whistle) – based on the Fiat Siena, Bbeokgugi (owl) – based on the Fiat Doblò.

See also

Automotive industry

Automotive industry crisis of 2008–2009

List of aircraft engines

List of Italian companies

Neckar

Simca

References

External links

Category:Motor vehicle manufacturers of Italy Fiat Category:Aircraft manufacturers of Italy Category:Aircraft engine manufacturers of Italy Category:Companies established in 1899 Category:Car manufacturers of Italy Category:Defence companies of Italy Category:Electric vehicle manufacturers Category:Italian brands Category:Tractor manufacturers of Italy Category:Turin motor companies Category:Edwardian era Category:Motor vehicle engine manufacturers

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Coordinates	55°45′06″N37°37′04″N
name	Jennifer Lopez
background	solo_singer
birth name	Jennifer Lynn Lopez
alias	J.Lo
birth date	}}

| genre = | occupation = Actress, businesswoman, dancer, recording artist | years_active = 1986, 1991–present | label = Epic, Island, Work | website = }} Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), often known by her moniker J.Lo, is an American actress, businesswoman, dancer and recording artist. She began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program ''In Living Color''. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller ''Money Train''. Her first leading role was in the biographical film ''Selena'' (1997), in which she earned an ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress. She earned her second ALMA Award for her performance in ''Out of Sight'' (1998). She has since starred in various films, including ''The Cell'' (2000), ''The Wedding Planner'' (2001), ''Maid in Manhattan'' (2002), ''Shall We Dance?'' (2004), ''Monster-in-Law'' (2005), and ''The Back-up Plan'' (2010).

Lopez came to prominence within the music industry following the release of her debut studio album ''On the 6'' (1999), which spawned the number one hit single "If You Had My Love". Her second studio album, ''J.Lo'' (2001), sold eight million copies worldwide; it was number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 the same week her film ''The Wedding Planner'' led the Box Office. ''J to tha L–O! The Remixes'' (2002) became her second consecutive album to debut at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200. Her third and fourth studio albums – ''This Is Me... Then'' and ''Rebirth'' – peaked at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200. In 2007 she released two albums: her first full Spanish-language album, ''Como ama una Mujer'', and her fifth English studio album, ''Brave''. Lopez returned to music and released her seventh studio album, titled ''Love?'', on April 19, 2011, which produced her most successful single to date, "On the Floor". Her contributions to the music industry have garnered her numerous achievements, including two Grammy Award nominations; two Latin Grammy Award nominations; three American Music Awards, amongst six nominations. She has amassed estimated sales of over 55 million records worldwide. ''Billboard'' ranked her as the 27th Artist of the 2000s decade. In 2010, Lopez became a member of the judging panel for the American reality television competition ''American Idol''. Lopez has been selected for a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012 for the "Recording" category.

She led ''People en Español''s list of "100 Most Influential Hispanics" in February 2007. That year, Lopez made the ''Forbes'' magazine's list of "The 20 Richest Women In Entertainment," ranking ninth. She has parlayed her media fame into a fashion line and various perfumes with her celebrity endorsement. A fashion icon, several of her dresses have received considerable media attention, most notably the Jungle green Versace dress which she wore at the 43rd Grammy Awards in 2000—voted the fifth most iconic dress of all time. Outside of her work in the entertainment industry, Lopez advocates for human rights and vaccinations, and is a supporter of Children's Hospital Los Angeles. In 2011 she was named the most "Beautiful Person" by ''People'' magazine in its annual issue. As of 2011, her wealth is estimated to be $150 million.

Early life and career beginnings

Lopez was born on July 24, 1969, in The Bronx, New York, and was raised on Blackrock Avenue in the borough's Castle Hill neighborhood. She is the daughter of Puerto Rican parents Guadalupe (née Rodríguez), a kindergarten teacher, and David Lopez, a computer specialist, both born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Lopez was raised as a Roman Catholic. She has two siblings, Lynda and Leslie. Lopez spent her entire academic career in Catholic schools, finishing at the all-girls Preston High School in the Bronx. She financed singing and dancing lessons for herself from the age of nineteen. After attending Baruch College for one semester, Lopez divided her time between working as a notary public in a legal office, dance classes, and dance performances in Manhattan night clubs. She had a small part in the 1987 film ''My Little Girl'', at the age of sixteen. After months of auditioning for dance roles, Lopez was selected as a dancer for various rap music videos, a 1990 episode of ''Yo! MTV Raps'', and as a backup dancer for the New Kids on the Block and their performance of their song "Games" for the American Music Awards in 1991. She gained her first regular high-profile job as a "Fly Girl" dancer on the television comedy program ''In Living Color'' from 1991–1993. Soon after, Lopez became a backup dancer for Janet Jackson and made an appearance in her 1993 video "That's the Way Love Goes".

Entertainment career

1993–98: Acting debut and film breakthrough with ''Selena'' and ''Out Of Sight''

Lopez's first television job as an actress was on the Fox series ''South Central''. She also made guest appearances in ''Second Chances'' and ''Hotel Malibu''. She then appeared in the made-for-television film ''Nurses on the Line: The Crash of Flight 7''. Lopez's first serious screen role was in Gregory Nava's 1995 drama ''My Family'', playing the character of Young Maria in the 1920s. After starring alongside Jimmy Smits and Edward James Olmos in ''My Family'', which earned her a Independent Spirit Award nomination, Lopez starred in the action film ''Money Train'', opposite Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson. In 1996, she reportedly beat out Ashley Judd and Lauren Holly for the supporting role in Francis Ford Coppola's 1996 comedy ''Jack'' starring Robin Williams. She then starred opposite Jack Nicholson in Bob Rafelson's well-received noir thriller ''Blood and Wine'' (1996). thumb|left|200px|Lopez earned widespread acclaim for her role as "Selena" Lopez's first big break came in 1997, when she was chosen to play the title role in ''Selena'', a biopic of the Tejano pop singer Selena. Despite having previously worked with Nava on ''Mi Familia'', Lopez was subjected to an intense auditioning process before landing the role. Production of the movie began in mid 1996. Lopez played Selena in her 20s, while Rebecca Lee Maza played Selena in her younger years. During pre-production, Mexican-American activists were highly critical that Jennifer Lopez, a New York City native born to Puerto Rican parents, was selected to play Selena. They preferred an actress with Mexican roots. However, after seeing Lopez's portrayal of Selena, they revised their opinions and were more accepting of Nava's decision. Lopez earned widespread outstanding reviews and praise from critics for her portrayal of Selena. Kenneth Turan from ''Los Angeles Times'' film critic Kenneth Turan while giving the film a mixed review, he wrote that ''Selena'' was not just a celebration of Selena's life, but the actress who played her. Joe Baltake said that Lopez was "is sensational in the title role" and complimented her for pulling off lip-syncing to Selena's original tracks as her own, as she wasn't a trained singer at the time. She garnered multiple awards and nominations, including a Golden Globe Award nomination for "Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy". Lopez has won an MTV Movie Award. ''Selena'' had a budget of $20 million, and grossed $35 million

Later that year, Lopez appeared in two major films. She starred in the horror film ''Anaconda'' alongside Ice Cube and Jon Voight, playing the role of Terri Flores, a director who is shooting a documentary while traveling through the Amazon River. Despite being a modest box office hit, the film was critically panned. Lopez then starred as the leading actress in the neo-noir film ''U Turn'', which is based on the book ''Stray Dogs'', starring alongside Sean Penn and Billy Bob Thornton. In 1998, she had one of her most acclaimed roles, starring opposite George Clooney in ''Out of Sight'', Steven Soderbergh's adaptation of the Elmore Leonard novel. Cast as a deputy federal marshal who falls for a charming criminal, Lopez won rave reviews for her performance and in the process she became the first Latina actress to earn over $1 million for a role. That same year, she provided the voice for Azteca on the computer-animated film ''Antz''.

1999–01: Musical debut with ''On the 6'', ''J.Lo'' and continued box office success

By May 1999, publicity for Lopez's debut album had begun, and the news spread fast. Lopez's debut album ''On the 6'', a reference to the 6 subway line she used to take growing up in Castle Hill, was released on June 1, 1999, and reached the top ten of the ''Billboard'' 200. Her debut single, "If You Had My Love" was released on May 21, 1999. It debuted at the lower ends of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at 64, and due to high airplay and sales, it reached the top spot on June 12, 1999, her first number-one lead single; it remains her only song to reach the top spot without a feature. It stayed on the chart for a total of 25 weeks, and in addition peaked at number-two on ''Billboard'' Pop Songs Chart. Looking back on the record's success, during an interview in 2011, Lopez stated "Still I think about that and still it's like wow, my first record I ever did went to number one. It's just an overwhelming feeling. This does not happen all the time. This is a very special thing." It was proceeded by the release of "Waiting For Tonight", which peaked at number eight on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, and was a dance club hit. Prior to the release of "Waiting For Tonight" as a single, a Spanish language Latin-flavored ballad with Marc Anthony (her husband from 2004 to 2011), "No Me Ames" was released and failed to chart on major charts. ''On the 6'' featured guest artists such as Big Pun and Fat Joe on the track "Feelin' So Good", which had moderate success on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, however failed to reach the top 50. "Let's Get Loud", the final single, earned Lopez a Grammy Award nomination in the "Best Dance Recording" category in 2001 Grammy Awards. "Waiting for Tonight" was nominated for the same category the previous year. "No Me Ames" received two nominations at the 2000 Latin Grammy Awards – "Best Pop Duo/Group with Vocal Performance" and "Best Music Video". In addition, Lopez was nominated for more awards then any other at the 1999 The Billboard Music Video Awards, scoring seven nominations in total, leading the likes of Christina Aguilera. ''On The 6'' had sold three million copies worldwide by August 2000. With the release and promotion of ''On The 6'' over, Lopez had successfully converted herself from film star to pop star within 12 months. Lopez then starred opposite Vincent D'Onofrio, in the psychological thriller film ''The Cell'', released on August 18, 2000. She portrayed Catherine Deane, a child psychologist who uses virtual reality to enter into the minds of her patients to coax them out of their comas. The film was released in August 2000 and became a box office success opening at number one. By August 2000, Lopez had begun work on her sophomore album. ''J.Lo'', was released on January 23, 2001 and debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200, exceeding sales of 270,000 copies in its first week. In addition, the album dethroned The Beatles's ''1'' from the top spot. At the same time, her romantic comedy film, ''The Wedding Planner'', which she stard in alongside Matthew McConaughey led box office receipts, making Lopez the first female to have a film and an album at number one in the country, in the exact same week. ''J.Lo'' was more urban oriented than ''On the 6''. The lead single, "Love Don't Cost a Thing", was her first number-one single in the United Kingdom and took her into the top five on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. She followed it up with "Play" which gave her another top 20 hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and reached number three in the UK. Her next single were "I'm Real" reached number one on the Hot 100, as well as spending over a year on the chart, with a total of 62 weeks. "I'm Real" was controversial for using a sample of the song "Firecraker"; which singer Mariah Carey had wanted to sample first. It was later shockingly announced that Carey's ex husband, Tommy Mottola had instructed record executive Irv Gotti to give Lopez the sample before Carey, and Lopez hadn't any knowledge of this at all. "Ain't It Funny" was released however didn't receive proper commercial promotion in the United States therefore ineligible for charting on the Hot 100. To capitalize on this, Lopez asked The Inc. Records (then known as Murder Inc.) to remix both songs ("I'm Real" and "Ain't It Funny), which featured rap artists Ja Rule (on both) and Cadillac Tah (on the "Ain't It Funny" remix). "Ain't It Funny (murder remix)" reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for several weeks, and led Radio Airplay and Pop Songs charts. On July 24, 2001, She re-released ''J. Lo'' on her 32nd birthday with the remix of "I'm Real" as a bonus track. Also, "Si Ya Se Acabó" was released in Spain, due to the success "Que Ironia." In 2001, Lopez performed on tour on the ''Let's Get Loud "Live in Puerto Rico" Concert''. ''J.Lo'' has sold 4 million copies in the United States alone. On September 27, 2004, a box set was released by Epic Records featuring ''On The 6'' and ''J.Lo'' combined. Lopez next role, in the supernatural romance film ''Angel Eyes'' released May 2001, was a box office flub and failed to garner a proper audience, in addition film critics were not impressed either.

2002–06: ''J to tha L-O! The Remixes'', ''This Is Me... Then'', focus on film and ''Rebirth''

Following the success of the re-release of ''J. Lo'', Lopez decided to devote an entire album to the remix effort, releasing ''J to tha L–O! The Remixes'', on February 5, 2002. This album debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200, becoming the first remix album in history to debut at the top on the chart, selling over 150,000 copies in its opening week. Featured artists on ''J to tha L-O! The Remixes'' included P. Diddy, Fat Joe, and Nas, and the album included rare dance and hip hop remixes of past singles. It is the third all-time biggest-selling remix album in history, after Michael Jackson's ''Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix'', The Beatles' ''Love'' and Madonna's ''You Can Dance'', having sold a total of 1.5 million copies as of October 2010. In addition, it dethroned Alan Jackson's ''Drive'' from the number one spot on the chart, which had spent 3 consecutive weeks at the top. ''J to tha L-O: The Remixes'' sold 624,000 copies within its first month, and stayed in the top 10 of the ''Billboard'' 200 for a month, too. It remained the only album to debut at number one in the United States for nearly 10 years, until Justin Bieber's remix effort in 2011 debuted at the top spot with similar opening sales. "I'm Gonna Be Alright" which was previously on her ''J.Lo'' album was released as a single; impacting the charts by July 2007 and reached the top 10 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "I'm Gonna Be Alright" spent 23 weeks on the chart. In May 2002, she starred in the thriller film Enough as Slim, a woman abused by her husband and on the run from him. The film garnered negative reviews, however the fight scene at the finale chapter of the movie in which Slim kills her husband was praised. In addition, the film was considered a "kick-butt, female empowerment" movie. Lopez released her third studio album, ''This Is Me... Then'', on November 26, 2002. It was dedicated to her then fiancé, actor Ben Affleck. The songs, in particular the fifth track, "Dear Ben" detailed her romantic relationship with Affleck. The album debuted at number six (her lowest debut as of that time) however contained her highest first-week sales of over 310,000 copies; more then double to that of ''J to tha Lo: The Remixes''. It moved to 2 on the chart later on, where it peaked, and spent 40 weeks on the chart. By February 2003 (5 months following its initial release) it remained in the Top 10, managing to average around 80,000 copies per week. The album's lead single, Jenny from the Block" (featuring Jadakiss and Styles P) was released and reached the third spot on the Hot 100. The song "intones her (Lopez) modest childhood roots vowing she wishes to remain simple despite her diamonds." Its accommodating music video featured Lopez and her then fiancé, Ben Affleck under the scrutiny of the paparazzi. ''This Is Me ... Then'' spawned three other singles , "All I Have" (featuring LL Cool J) being the second, reached number one on the Hot 100, and "I'm Glad" and "Baby I Love U!" were the final two singles released from the album, peaking at 32 and 72 on the Hot 100 respectively. The video for "I'm Glad" recreated scenes from the 1983 film ''Flashdance'', leading to a lawsuit over copyright infringement, which was later dismissed. In addition, ''This Is Me Then'' included a cover of Carly Simon's 1978 "You Belong to Me". The album has sold 2.5 million copies in the United States, lower then her previous studio albums. Following her third studio effort, Lopez took a musical hiatus to focus on her film career. She appeared alongside Ralph Fiennes in the romantic comedy film ''Maid in Manhattan'', released on December 13, 2002. Her character, Marisa Ventura, is a struggling single mother who lives in the Bronx and makes her living cleaning rooms in a super-luxurious Manhattan hotel, and gets mistaken for a socialite by a princely politician. ''Maid in Manhattan'' was a box office hit, opening at number one. ''The New York Times'' compared the film's storyline to her 2002 song, "Jenny from the Block", commenting, "In her new single, ''Jenny From the Block,'' Jennifer Lopez declares that despite her enormous wealth and global fame, she has not lost touch with her roots." ''Gigli'' a film which Lopez starred as a Lesbian, across her then-lover Ben Affleck was released on August 1, 2003, and was a box office flub, and is often considered one of the worst films ever made. In 2004, once again she starred in another movie with Ben Affleck, Jersey Girl, but only grossed $36 million at the box office and received poor reviews. In August 2003, (after the international flub of "''Gigli''") it was announced that Lopez was star in ''Shall We Dance?''. The move was released in 2004, in which Lopez starred as Paulina alongside Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon; it reached the third spot at the Box Office.''Shall We Dance?'', grossed $112,238,000, at the international box office. Domestically, ''Shall We Dance?'' grossed $57,890,460 and a total of $170,128,460 worldwide. By this time, Lopez was well established as one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood and the highest-paid Latin actress in Hollywood history, though she's never had a film grossing over $100 million in the USA. She was on ''The Hollywood Reporter'''s list of the top ten actress salaries in 2002, 2003, and 2004.

Lopez released her fourth studio album, ''Rebirth'', on March 1, 2005. The lead single was "Get Right"., reaching 12 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and was a dance club hit. The song reached number one in the United Kingdom. The video for "Get Right" has Lopez portraying many different characters in a nightclub and sporting several different looks and occupations. Following the release of "Get Right", the album debuted (and peaked) at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 261,000 copies in its opening week. It quickly fell off the charts, and produced one more single, "Hold You Down", which featured Fat Joe, reached number 64 on the Hot 100 while it peaked at number six in the UK and ascended to the top 20 in Australia. The song "Cherry Pie" was intended to be released as a single, however due to low sales (despite a high start) of ''Rebirth'' these plants were scrapped. ''Rebirth'' was certified Platinum in the U.S. by the RIAA; selling over 700,000 copies so far in the United States, and has enjoyed international success. In May 2005, the film ''Monster-in-Law'' was released. It was Jane Fonda's first movie in several years. It featured Lopez as Charlie, an artist who is pitted against her fiance's conniving mother when she doesn't accept her as her son's girlfriend (or soon-to-be wife). However, the $43-million film became a box-office smash debuting at number one, earning $83 million ($154.7 worldwide) during its theatrical run in summer 2005. Lopez received $15 million for her role in ''Monster-in-Law''. Later, she starred in a film entitled ''An Unfinished Life'', which did not do well; only reaching 11 at the Box office. In 2006, Lopez was featured in LL Cool J's single "Control Myself", which was released on February 1, 2006. It reached number four on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number two on the UK Singles Chart, Lopez's first collaborative Top 10 Hit in the U.S. since 2003. Also that year, she was in the movie ''Bodertown''; The movie is based on a series of unsolved murders in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, a ''maquiladora'' border city across the Río Bravo del Norte (Rio Grande) from El Paso, Texas. Estimates of the murders conflict, yet, conservatively speaking over four hundred women, maybe many more, have been kidnapped, tortured and murdered since 1993 in and around Ciudad Juárez. Lopez garnered a few awards and recognition for this part. The film wasn't a large success, though. Jennifer was one of the recipients of the Women in Film Crystal Award, after her appearance in ''Bordertown''.

2007–08: ''Como ama una Mujer'', ''Brave'' and career break

From early 2006, it was reported that Lopez was to release a full Spanish language album. Contactmusic.com said that Lopez would "prove critics wrong" and prove that she actually has a voice, through this new project. Upon the eve of the album's release, Lopez explained that she had previously aimed to sing in Spanish, however her career took a different path. Lopez officially released her first full Spanish-language album, ''Como ama una Mujer'', on March 23, 2007. It was one of few Latin albums to debut within the top 10 of the ''Billboard'' 200, debuting at number 10. The album was a natural and large success within the Latin community, reaching number one on ''Billboard'' Top Latin Albums. The record enjoyed moderate international success, reaching the top 10 in countries such as Italy, Germany, Greece, Poland and Austria, however was her first album to fail on the U.K. charts, charting briefly somewhere under the Top 100 mark. thumb|left|Lopez with husband Marc Anthony (right) and Greek singer Kostas Martakis (left), who opened her September 2008 concert in Athens. ''Como ama una Mujer'' marks the highest debut sales in the United States for a Spanish album and the highest digital sales for a Spanish album. It went straight to number one in Switzerland. ''The York Press'', on the album, stated that "Lopez stunned many with her Spanish language Como Ama una Mujer, which at last proved that she is a major musical force." For promotion of ''Como Ama Una Mujer'', Lopez traveled with her husband, Marc Athony, back to the Bronx, to meet fans and sign copies of her album in her hold neighbourd. Over 500 people attended. In an interview, Lopez stated "It touches my heart to be able to bring this album back to my neighborhood, back to my home." Her husband, singer Marc Anthony, produced the album with Estefano, except for "Qué Hiciste", which Anthony co-produced with Julio Reyes. The lead single, "Qué Hiciste" (Spanish for "What Did You Do"), was released to radio stations in January 2007. It peaked at 86 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number one on the Hot Latin Songs and the Hot Dance Club Play. It also went top ten on the European chart. The video for the song was the first Spanish-language video to peak at number one on MTV's ''Total Request Live'' daily countdown. The second single released is called "Me Haces Falta" and the third is "Por Arriesgarnos". Lopez won an American Music Award for Favorite Latin Artist in 2007, which she won again four years later in 2011. Lopez performed "Qué Hiciste" on Reality singing competition ''American Idol'', in the same week she was a mentor; she is the first person to perform a Latin (non-english) song on the hit show. On July 24, 2007 (Lopez's birthday) ''Billboard'' magazine reported that Lopez and husband Marc Anthony would "co-headline" a worldwide tour called "Juntos en Concierto" starting in New Jersey on September 29. The tour launched September 28, 2007 at the Mark G. Etess Arena and ended on November 7, 2007 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. In August 2007, Lopez collaborated on the feature film, ''El Cantante'', with her husband – singer-actor Marc Anthony. Ms. Lopez, who's also a producer of the film, "does enough acting for the two of them in her role as Puchi, Héctor’s wife" while creating a very interesting and edgy performance. The film is in English, with creative use of subtitles for songs with Spanish lyrics. On August 15, 2007, it was confirmed that Lopez had begun working on her fifth English language album, and sixth studio album overall, that was confirmed for a release on October 9, 2007. The title was announced as ''Brave''. The lead single was announced as "Do It Well", which was serviced to radio stations and released in August. It debuted at 12 on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling only 53,000 copies in its opening week. Commercially, it was her least successful album. "Do It Well" managed to reach 31 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, but remained on the chart only for a mere nine weeks. It earned mixed to negative reviews, Rashod D. Ollison from ''The Sun'' said that "Brave – was not to daring". However, there were a ''few'' positive reviews. ''The York Press'' compared ''Brave'' to Britney Spears' album due for release around the same time. Praising Lopez for not needing digital enhancement of her voice in "Brave" compared to Spears, they turned their favor to ''Brave'' instead of ''Blackout'' despite praising Spears' for delivering a "decent album". Aside from this, ''Brave'' garnered negative or mixed reviews, who complained that despite the title, there was nothing brave about it. She collaborated with producers Midi Mafia, J. R. Rotem, Lynn and Wade and Ryan Tedder, with Rotem working on some tracks with writing partner Evan "Kidd" Bogart. Earlier, on August 26, 2007, ABC premiered a promo for the fourth season of ''Desperate Housewives'', featuring a snippet of the song "Mile in These Shoes". "Do It Well" was released as the lead single and reached the top 20 in many countries. "Hold It, Don't Drop It" was released as the second single in certain European territories only. The third single was set to be the title track "Brave", and it was even posted on director Michael Haussman's official website that filming of the music video for the song had completed, however, the release of "Brave" as a single was eventually scrapped, most likely due to low album sales. ''Brave'' has sold over 160,000 copies only (which sales are comparable to that of Lopez' previous ''first'' week sales of her first five albums).

2010–present: ''American Idol'', ''Love?'' and comeback

While pregnant with twins Max and Emme, Lopez had been writing material for her seventh studio album ''Love?'', with a planned release for the summer of 2010. A song titled "Fresh Out the Oven" featuring Miami rapper Pitbull surfaced online in October 2009 but her record label said that it was simply a buzz single. It topped the Hot Dance Club Songs chart. The project's official lead single, "Louboutins", had its radio debut on November 23, 2009, following the song's premiere and performance at the 2009 American Music Awards. The song only managed to enter the Hot Dance Club Play chart six weeks after release and reaching number 1, however, it failed to enter any other chart, including the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. On January 27, 2010, it was announced that Lopez would guest-star on an episode of ''How I Met Your Mother'' as Anita Appleby, a no-nonsense author of self-help books that teach women how to mold men into "relationship machines" through the power of denial. In February 2010 Lopez and her record label of ten years, Epic Records, parted ways. Lopez's manager, Benny Medina, confirmed the news, saying "Jennifer had a wonderful relationship with the Sony Music Group, and they have shared many successes together, but the time was right to make a change that best serves the direction of her career as an actress and recording artist... She is grateful and appreciative to everyone at Sony for all that they accomplished together." Lopez later released a statement to the media where she said that she had already completed her contractual obligations with Sony Music Entertainment and Epic Records and decided it was for the best to end the partnership on amicable terms. She added that she found a new "home" [record label] for the album 'Love?'. Shortly after being spotted talking to Island Def Jam's chairman and CEO L.A. Reid, it was confirmed on March 19, 2010 that Lopez signed with Island Def Jam, and was working on new material for ''Love?'' with RedZone Entertainment (Kuk Harrell, The-Dream and Tricky Stewart). In April 2010, she appeared in the romantic comedy ''The Back-up Plan''. The film debuted at the top spot at the Box Office.

In June 2010, following the departure of Ellen DeGeneres from ''American Idol'', it was reported that Lopez was in talks to join season ten's judging panel. However, it was then reported that Lopez was out of the running due to "outrageous demands", something which returning ''Idol'' producer, Nigel Lythgoe responded to by saying "[Jennifer] is in no way a diva, I've worked with her on quite a few occasions and I have never yet seen her be a diva." He did not confirm or deny reports of the contract negotiations between Lopez and the other ''Idol'' producers. Both Lopez and husband, Marc Anthony, were being considered for a role on ''The X Factor'' for their appeal to 'Latin' and 'International' markets. Lopez's involvement in ''The X Factor'' was ruled out when the media reported that she had accepted an offer to become a judge on season ten of ''Idol'', despite being offered roles on both shows. The announcement was made official on September 22, 2010. MTV said "the deal was mutually beneficial to all those involved" whilst CNN reported that Lopez was viewing it as a decision to revive her career while ''Idol'' producers believe Lopez and Steven Tyler's appointments will strengthen viewing figures. The public agreed that Lopez was a more suitable judge replacement for Ellen, as she had experience within the music industry, which DeGeneres lacked.

In January 2011 Lopez's new single, "On the Floor", featuring American rapper Pitbull surfaced online. Behind the single was producer RedOne, who predicted that it was going to be a "big hit". The song samples Kaoma's 1989 hit "Lambada". On March 3, 2011 "On The Floor" debuted at nine on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 after selling 170,000 copies, the highest debut of her career, and her highest charting of any sort since "All I Have". Later that night, the video for "On The Floor" debuted on ''American Idol''. The song peaked at three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and peaked at number one in over fifteen different countries, and over twenty different charts. Worldwide, it was the fourth best selling digital single of 2011 with sales of 8.4 million copies. The video for "On The Floor" as a result of its ''American Idol'' premiere has received 480 million views on Lopez's VEVO channel on YouTube, the second most watched video of all time. ''Love?'''s second single written by Taio Cruz, "I'm Into You" was released on April 1, 2011 and features rapper Lil Wayne it debuted at 72 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, and peaked at 41 in August 2011. In addition, the song was a dance club hit, peaking at number one on ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Songs, and number nine in the United Kingdom. The video for "I'm Into You" was released, co-starring William Levy as her lover in the video. ''Love?'' was released on May 3, 2011, and opened at five on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, selling 83,000 copies. It was a moderate success, and viewed as a humble comeback from Lopez, as many had considered her recording career well over. Lopez has been selected for a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012, in the "Recording" category, along with Boyz II Men. "Papi" was released on September 13, 2011 and charted at 96 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and became her 11th number one hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Songs chart. The following month, she was named "Women of the year" by ''Glamour Magazine''. Lopez was then featured on will.i.am's song from his upcoming album, ''#willpower'', "T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever)" and she was also featured in the music video. By the end of November 2011, it was confirmed that Lopez would be releasing a greatest hits album by 2012, in which her vocal producer and The-Dream were on board.

On December 13, 2011, Lopez was named the "World's greatest musical comeback act" announced by ''Los Angeles Times'', a ranking from an accuracast, a digital search that analyzed over a billion Google searches since 2004. Lopez ranked ahead of comebacks from artists such as Mariah Carey and Ricky Martin. On December 22, 2011, the former head of Island Def Jam, L.A. Reid, announced via twitter that Lopez' Greatest Hits album would be arriving soon. On December 25, 2011 Lopez was named "Best Comeback" act by Billboard.com Reader's Poll, leading with 47% of votes for the title, beating out Kelly Clarkson (17%) and Evanescence (12%). She was also ranked 43rd most successful artist of 2011. In late 2011, Lopez worked with ex-husband Marc Anthony and director-choeographer Jamie King on a Latin talent series created by Simon Fuller, called ''¡Q'Viva! The Chosen''. Filming of the show began in October 2011. It follows Lopez and Anthony as they travel across 21 countries to find new talent. It is slated to air on the first quarter of 2012 on Univision. During an interview with ''Extra TV'' Lopez confirmed that she had been working on new music and a possible tour, Lopez had also previously talked about the possibility of a tour after the release of ''Love?'' around June 2011, which never materialized, as it could have jeapordised her position as a judge on ''American Idol''. Lopez's film, ''What to Expect When You're Expecting'', in which she will play Holly. The film will be released to theaters on May 11, 2012. Another film which Lopez has shot her parts for, ''Parker'' will be released in 2012. Lopez will portray Leslie. Lopez voices Shira in the upcoming animated film, ''Ice Age: Continental Drift'' which is the fourth movie in the ''Ice Age'' series.

Business ventures

Fashion

Lopez launched a clothing line in 2001. Entitled JLO by Jennifer Lopez, the line included different types of clothing for young women, including jeans, T-shirts, coats, belts, purses, and lingerie, a jewelry line, and an accessory line that includes hats, gloves, and scarves. Lopez participated in the Louis Vuitton Winter 2003 campaign. In 2003, she launched a new clothing line called ''Sweetface'', which was closed in 2009. In late 2007, Lopez retired JLO by Jennifer Lopez and launched a new juniors' line called JustSweet. Her fashion lines have featured at many New York Fashion Week events. In 2011, Lopez launched her clothing line at Kohls, which she labelled as affordable and completely her style. Her ex, Marc Anthony, also put out his clothing line for Kohls at the same time.

Production company

Lopez owns the film and television production company Nuyorican Productions, which was launched as early as 2003. It was co-founded with her manager Benny Medina, who was supposed to receive half the producing revenue from the company. Lopez split with Medina shortly after the company was founded, but they later restored their business relationship.

Nuyorican Productions produced mini-series broadcast on Univisión, which Jennifer was a co-executive producer of; the shoe was names after her CD ''Como Ama Una Mujer'', it ran in five episodes from October 30 to November 27, 2007, and starred Adriana Cruz. Another show that came from her production company, "Brethren" which FOX gave script commitment, and it later aired on the channel. The production company, which has produced "Taming Ben Taylor", "Nannyland" and "Amigas Sweet 15 Club" has signed deals with FOX for films to be made.

Endorsements

Lopez ventured in the perfume industry with her debut ''Glow by J.Lo'', which can be purchased anywhere including every-day shopping outlets like Macy's and pharmacy chains. Lopez said that she wanted Glow to be "Sexy and sensual." ''Glow by J.Lo'' has a scent of orange, grapefruit, jasmine, orris, Irises, vanilla and musk. Lopez re-visited Glow later, creating a limited edition spin-off, ''Miami Glow by J.Lo''. ''Still'' was released as the third major fragrance in October 2003; it is described as "the scent of a woman," and "A scent that captures the way a woman feels when she has discovered herself. Real and true. Serene and sensual." ''Glow by J.Lo'' and ''Still'' were very successful in the fragrance market.

In 2005, Lopez launched three fragrances: ''Miami Glow'', ''Love At First Glow'' and ''Live''. In 2006, she released another fragrance, ''Glow After Dark'', a perfume suited to night theme. In 2008, she released her ''Deseo'' fragrance line, which featured ''Deseo'', ''Deseo Forever'' and ''Deseo For Men'', her first male fragrance. ''Live Platinum'' was released in 2008 as well. ''Sunkissed Glow'' and ''My Glow'' were released in 2009; ''My Glow'' was inspired by the birth of her twins, and the top was an angel/baby. TLC, a division of Discovery Communications Inc, had signed Lopez to an unscripted reality series about the launching of her new fragrance, but the series never materialized. Her next fragrance, ''Blue Glow By J.Lo'' which was a refreshing "watery feel" fragrance.

Her 15th fragrance is ''Love and Glamour'', which was launched in June and released to counters in October, 2010. Her 16th fragrance is ''L.A Glow'', inspired by L.A. Nightlife. Lopez launched her 17th fragrance, ''Love & Light'' In July 2011. She launched it on HSN where she appeared for six hours, and the perfume sold 51,000 bottles in that amount of time, her most successful fragrance launch to date. Apart from Fragrances, Lopez has endorsed several other products.

In 2003, Lopez was in a pepsi commercial featuring Beyoncé Knowles and David Beckham entitled "Samurai". She endorses several L'Oréal products, and was named "L'Oréal Paris Global Brand Ambassador" In December 2010. She has shot several adds for the endorsement deal. Lopez's recent L’Oreal EverSleek campaign made its debut during the Golden Globes ad break, kicking it off in a big way. Products that Lopez has endorsed for L'Oreal recently include El Vive Triple Resist, True Match, Color Riche, GlamShine, and Voluminous Lashes commercials, the EverSleek commercial and print ads, and the Infallible Lip Color and ElVive Triple Resist print ads. In 2011, Lopez endorsed and promoted a variety of products. In addition to L'Oréal, lopez endorses Gillette women's products, such as the "Get Your Goddess Showing" project. She was named the first ever "Gillette-Venus Global Ambassador" In 2011, too. She recorded a cover of "Venus" by Shocking Blue for her Gillette-Venus advertisement. Lopez is a spokesperson for Harmon Kardon home surround sound system. Lopez is the face of TOUS Jewelry. Lopez is a spokesperson for Lux shampoo in Japan, appearing in the product's television commercials. As of late 2011, she promotes FIAT cats in the United States. Her advertisements for the brand have garnered negative reviews, and in January 2012 a United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) group told Lopez to end her endorsement for problems with the FIAT brand which "freely does business with a regime that is developing an illegal nuclear weapons program."

Philanthropy

Lopez is an avid supporter of Children's Hospital Los Angeles and was presented with the Children's Humanitarian Award at the hospital's inaugural Noche de Niños gala in September 2004. Lopez continues to attend the annual red carpet event and is a regular visitor to the hospital. The singer participated in the Nautica Malibu Triathlon benefiting the hospital in 2008. In May 2009, Lopez formed The Maribel Foundation, with the goal of supporting Children's Hospital Los Angeles and improving health care internationally. On February 14, 2007, Lopez received the Artists for Amnesty International award "in recognition of her work as producer and star of ''Bordertown'', a film exposing the ongoing murders of hundreds of women in the border city of Juárez, Mexico". Nobel Peace Prize winner José Ramos-Horta presented the award to Lopez at the Berlin International Film Festival. She also received special recognition and thanks from Norma Andrade, co-founder of Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa A.C. ("May Our Daughters Return Home, Civil Association"), an organization consisting of mothers and families of the murdered women of Juárez. Lopez has also been involved in promoting vaccination for whooping cough. Lopez is working with Sounds of Pertussis and March of Dimes to promote awareness about the disease and encourage vaccination of adults to prevent spread of disease to infants.

Lopez owns a foundation with her sister, Lynda Lopez, entitled ''The Maribel Foundation''. The name ''Maribel'' is Marc's sister who died due to a brain tumor. The foundation was publicly launched on ''Larry King Live'', in which Lopez and her sister appeared in June 2010. In a letter from the official website, Lopez said that the foundation was important as it braught a "greater sense of security and well-being to under-served and under-privileged communities." The foundation will help parents who haven't access to medical services and health care facilities, and therefore can't be informed about critical child and health care topics. ''The Maribel Foundation'' worked with Telemedicine clinics abroad and near to increase healthcare for serious cases. "Telemedicine" is a delivery system that uses technology (telecommunications) to conduct medical diagnoses, consultations, treatments, transfers of data, education of physicians, and dissemination of public health alerts and/or emergency updates. The program is mainly reaching out to those living in under privileged or deserted areas without proper medical services. The foundation can also save children's lives who have serious diseases; as it provides them services over communication from elsewhere. Prior to the foundation; at 2008's annual Woman's Conference, oh her foundation, Lopez said "My foundation will prioritize the importance of empowerment. I have lots of big dreams and envision big changes toward proper healthcare, prenatal care, pediatric care. And that, coming together in the biggest possible way is what I believe women are capable of." Also at this Woman's Conference, Lopez confirmed that she was building a foundation for woman, health, children and education. The foundation's slogan is "Where children are concerned, there is no time to lose."

For her foundation, Lopez recording a song, "One Step At a Time", dedicated to her twins. It was included on an album for the foundation, ''Every Mother Counts'' a CD which was released exclusively only to Starbucks from April 2011; the money was donated to the foundation. The album was devoted fully to mothers. Lopez was one of the recipients of Love Our Children USA's “Mothers Who Make A Difference” awards in 2009. On October 25, 2011, ''The Maribel Foundation'' received a $500,000 dollar donation pledge from Samsung and Best Buy. An advertisement featuring Lopez promoting Samsung products for ''The Maribel Foundation'' has aired.

Honors and awards

During her career, Lopez has had various nominations, awards and achievements. For her contributions to the music industry and her film work, she has garnered 7 American Music Award nominations (winning 3), 18 MTV Video Music Awards nominations (winning 2), 9 MTV Europe Music Award nominations (winning 3), 2 Grammy Award nominations, 2 Latin Grammy Award nominations, 1 Golden Globe nomination, 9 ALMA Award nominations (winning 3), 2 Billboard Music Awards nominations (winning 2), 12 Billboard Latin Music Awards nominations (winning 5), 4 World Music Awards nominations (winning 2), 2 Brit Award nominations, 5 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards nominations (winning 3) among others.

Her role in the 1998 film ''Out of Sight'' earned her a paycheck of over $1 million, making her the world's highest paid Latin actress. In 2001, Lopez became the first female to have a film and album both be number one at the same time in the United States. Lopez has been recognized by ''People en Español'' magazine as both the cover subject for the "50 Most Beautiful" issue in 2006 and the "100 Most Influential Hispanics" issue in February 2007. In 2011, she was named "World's Most Beautiful Woman" by People's Choice magazine.

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''Us Weekly'' named Lopez as Style Icon of the 2000–2010 decade.

Lopez's most memorable Fashion moment in her career was the Green Versace "Jungle Dress" that she wore at the 42nd Grammy Awards In 2000. A poll by Debenhams, published in the ''Daily Telegraph'', voted it the fifth most iconic dress of all time. It has been cited along with the Elizabeth Hurley's black Versace dress as being the top dresses that made Versace a household name and the turning point in designer Donatella Versace's career after the death of her brother Gianni Versace. The dress is currently on display at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. For her Fashion sense, Lopez has earned several awards including a VH1 Award and Vogue Fashion Award in 1999 for "Most Fashionable Female Artist", achieving multiple other awards since for outstanding achievements and recognition. Lopez was complimented in an article for ''ELLE'', the author wrote – "She wears little visible makeup, and with her hair in a bun, huge hoop earrings, and a long halterdress on, she’s squarely in casual-mother mode, a style Diane von Furstenberg describes as “exotic and earthy." Lopez cites Urban, Edgy Bronx style as a contribution to her continuing fashion style. Lopez says she is a fan of "Glamour" and "Old Hollywood Movie Stars" as a fashion sense.

Aside from her fashion sense in clothes, Lopez has changed her personal appearance multiple times, scoring several different hairstyles over the years. Lopez's two-piece (eventually stripped down to a body-suit) "train dress highlighting her curves and flawless skin" at the 2011 American Music Awards was both welcomed and praised but was received mixed and negatively, too. Despite popularity and favoritism with her outfits, Lopez has also received negativity; the dress she wore in 2011 to the BAFTA Gala gave her the title of "Worst Dressed" of the evening along with others, most likely due to her open-abs section. Lopez's frequent use of animal fur in her clothing lines and personal wardrobe has brought the scorn of people concerned with animal rights. At the Los Angeles premiere of ''Monster-in-Law'', more than 100 protesters from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) held a demonstration to highlight their concerns.

Personal life

Starting in 1984, when Lopez was 15 and in high school, she began dating David Cruz. They split up in 1994, but remained close; Lopez said in 2004, "He's a friend and he probably knows me better than anyone else".

Lopez's first marriage was to Cuban-born Ojani Noa on February 22, 1997. Lopez met Noa while he worked as a waiter at a Miami restaurant. They divorced in January 1998. Lopez later employed Noa as the manager of her Pasadena restaurant Madre's in April 2002, but he was fired in October 2002. After Noa sued Lopez over the termination, they drew up a confidentiality agreement. In April 2006, Lopez sued to prevent Noa from publishing a book containing personal details about their marriage, contending it violated their confidentiality agreement. In August 2007, a court-appointed arbitrator issued a permanent injunction forbidding Ojani Noa from "criticizing, denigrating, casting in a negative light or otherwise disparaging" Lopez. She was awarded $545,000 in compensatory damages, which included nearly $300,000 in legal fees and almost $48,000 in arbitration costs. Noa was also ordered to hand over all copies of materials related to the book to Lopez or her attorney. In November 2009, Lopez sued Noa for breach of contract and invasion of privacy, citing a previous confidentiality agreement between the two, to prevent Noa from releasing his planned film, "How I Married Jennifer Lopez: The JLo and Ojani Noa Story", and alleged "previously unseen home video footage". On December 1, 2009, judge James Chalfant granted a temporary injunction against Noa and his agent, Ed Meyer, barring them from distributing the footage in any forum. Lopez's lawyer said that he will return to court to make it permanent, stressing that "there wasn't anything even close" to a sex tape in Noa's possession: "It's private and personal, but it wasn't a sex tape. They are innocent and they have been misrepresented... to increase value and media attention". After the hearing, Noa said he planned to fight the injunction: "It's not about the money, it's about my life".

Lopez next had a two and a half year relationship with hip-hop mogul Sean Combs. Combs allegedly showered Lopez with diamonds and jewlery, the inspiration for her 2000 hit, "Love Don't Cost a Thing". On December 27, 1999, Lopez and Combs were at Club New York, a midtown Manhattan nightclub, when gunfire erupted between Combs' entourage and another group. Lopez and Combs were being driven away from the scene when they were chased and stopped by the police. A gun was found in the front seat of their vehicle. Combs was charged with felony gun possession. Stress over Combs' trial and pursuit by the press multiplied their problems, and Lopez terminated her involvement with Combs one year later. During a related civil suit in 2008, the plaintiff's lawyer said Lopez had “nothing to contribute to the case”.

Her second marriage was to her former backup dancer, Cris Judd. She met Judd while filming the music video for her single "Love Don't Cost a Thing." The two were married on September 29, 2001, at a home in the L.A. suburbs. Prior to the marriage, it had been reported by the tabloids in June 2001 that Lopez was expecting, which never turned out to be true. Their marriage effectively ended in June 2002, when Lopez began publicly dating Ben Affleck. They were divorced in January 2003. On April 12, 2002, Lopez opened a Cuban restaurant in the South Lake district of Pasadena, California named ''Madre's'' with her family. In July 2008 ''Madre's'' closed down for unknown reasons.

Her relationship with Affleck was highly publicized, with the media dubbing the couple "Bennifer". Lopez announced her engagement to Affleck in November 2002, after Affleck gave her a six-carat pink diamond ring worth a reported $1.2 million. Lopez promised interviewers that Affleck was indeed "the one", and that they would soon have a family. The marriage, planned for September 14, 2003 in Santa Barbara, California, was called off just hours before the event. They announced the end of their engagement in January 2004. Their relationship was parodied on the ''South Park'' episode "Fat Butt and Pancake Head", which aired on April 16, 2003. In 2003, Lopez and Affleck acted together in the film ''Gigli'' and in the 2004 film ''Jersey Girl''. He also appeared in her "Jenny from the Block" video.

Marriage to Marc Anthony and motherhood

Less than two months after her break-up with Affleck, Lopez was seen with singer Marc Anthony, a longtime friend with whom she had worked in music videos. They had briefly dated in the late 1990s, before his first marriage and her second. Lopez and Anthony were recording a duet together in early 2004, for Lopez's then-upcoming film ''Shall We Dance?''. In October 2003, Anthony became separated, for the second time, from his first wife, former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres, with whom he has two children. Torres filed for divorce three months later. Lopez and Anthony married in a quiet home wedding on June 5, 2004, four days after his divorce from Torres was final.

Lopez's guests had been invited to an "afternoon party" at Lopez's house and had not been made aware that they were actually going to her wedding. The couple had planned not to publicize their marriage early on, allowing more privacy and time together in an otherwise intrusive environment. Days after the wedding, Anthony refused to comment on their marriage during interviews which were scheduled earlier to promote a new album "Amar Sin Mentiras" (To Love Without Lies). In February 2005, Lopez confirmed the marriage, and added that "everyone knows. It's not a secret". A few months later, Anthony's daughter, Ariana, appeared at the end of Lopez's music video "Get Right" as her little sister. Regarding his marriage and family life, Anthony maintains a private and sometimes defensive stance with the media, which has influenced Lopez to set some boundaries with interviewers.

On November 7, 2007, the last night of her "En Concierto" tour, Lopez confirmed she was expecting her first child with husband Marc. The announcement ended months of speculation over the pregnancy. Her father later confirmed on February 5, 2008, that she was expecting twins. Lopez gave birth on February 22, 2008 to fraternal twins, a girl and a boy, Emme Maribel Muñiz, and Maximilian "Max" David Muñiz. The twins were introduced in the March 11, 2008 issue of ''People'' magazine, for which the magazine paid $6 million.

By January 2008, Lopez lived with her family in Brookville, New York, on Long Island. Her mother, Guadalupe Lopez, moved into the gated home in June that year. In June 2008 Lopez was hit with a $5 million-dollar lawsuit after her guard dog allegedly attacked her 40-year-old women, causing her back troubles. Marc Anthony, too was later added to this lawsuit for equal ownership of the German Sheppard. On July 15, 2011, following seven years of marriage to Anthony, the couple's representative announced that the couple were separating. It has been speculated that during Lopez marriage to Marc Anthony, he tried to control her fashion wardrobe according to ''Us Weekly'' among other sources. Anthony allegedly wanted Lopez to dress more appropriately for a mother of two and a forty-year old.

In September 2011, Lopez purchased a home in the Hamptons for $18 million. Lopez is a practitioner of Krav Maga. She is also active on social networking site Twitter. As of 2012, media has focused on Lopez's alleged relationship with her back-up dancer, Casper Smart. Anthony himself has also an open relationship with Venezuelan model Shannon De Lima.

Religion

It was reported that Lopez and Marc Anthony were taking professional business meetings at the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre in Hollywood, California, in late 2006. It was also rumored that Lopez and Anthony became Scientologists during that period with the help of Angelo Pagan, the husband of ''The King of Queens'' actress and Scientologist Leah Remini. Just prior to those reports, Lopez said to NBC, "I'm not a Scientologist, I was raised Catholic. But it's funny the way people come at it. To me it's so strange. These are some of the best people I've ever met in my life." She added, "My dad has been a Scientologist for 20 years. He's the best man that I know in my life and so, it's weird to me that people want to paint it in a negative way." It has been reported that a factor in Lopez's break with Anthony was over the religious education of their twins; Lopez desired to send the children to a "specialist Scientology school" a position Anthony disagreed with.

Works

Discography

''On the 6'' (1999)

''J.Lo'' (2001)

''This Is Me... Then'' (2002)

''Rebirth'' (2005)

''Como ama una Mujer'' (2007)

''Brave'' (2007)

''Love?'' (2011)

Filmography

''Selena'' (1997), Selena Quintanilla

''Anaconda'' (1997), Terri Flores

''The Cell'' (2000), Catherine Deane

''The Wedding Planner'' (2001), Mary Fiore

''Angel Eyes'' (2001), Sharon Pogue

''Enough'' (2002), Slim Hiller

''Maid in Manhattan'' (2002), Marisa Ventura

''Monster-in-Law'' (2005), Charlie

''Bordertown'' (2006), Lauren Adrian

''The Back-up Plan'' (2010), Zoe

See also

List of Puerto Ricans

List of songs recorded by Jennifer Lopez

Marc Anthony

''American Idol''

Notes

References

External links

Official website for Jennifer Lopez fragrances

Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from New York City Category:American dancers Category:American dance musicians Category:American entertainment industry businesspeople Category:American fashion businesspeople Category:American fashion designers Category:American female singers Category:American film actors Category:American musicians of Puerto Rican descent Category:American philanthropists Category:American pop singers Category:American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters Category:American Roman Catholics Category:American television actors Category:American television producers Category:English-language singers Category:Hip hop singers Category:Hispanic and Latino American actors Category:Hispanic and Latino American women Category:Idol series judges Category:Krav Maga practitioners Category:Latin pop singers Category:Musicians from New York City Category:Notaries Category:People from the Bronx Category:Puerto Rican actors Category:Puerto Rican female singers Category:Spanish-language singers

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