Olivia Munn, young actors attend Fiat Vanity Fair party

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- With the Oscars ceremony only days away, a bevy of young stars, including Olivia Munn and Topher Grace, mingled at this city's best-known hideaway, the Chateau Marmont hotel.

And among stars was a car, a Fiat strategically placed at the end the red carpet to soak up maximum exposure. Fiat threw the party along with Vanity Fair magazine.

Even though Fiat is one of the cheapest car brands on the market, its prominent role at the event signaled that the brand still takes its image seriously as a high-end stylish Italian automotive icon. As if to underscore the idea, Fiat wheels served as the legs of cocktail tables.

The car certainly was in the right kind of company. Many of the stars are yet to become household names, but they are rising. And Fiat Chrysler likes to think of the Fiat 500 and its other models the same way.