An agreement has been reached between Fiat and the group of Italian highway companies (Società Autostrade per l'Italia) to re-launch 'Made in Italy', a marketing concept that aims to vigorously promote Italian brands.

The announcement was made by Lapo Elkann, the Fiat director with responsibility for brand promotion, and Vito Gamberale, the managing director of the Autostrade group, during a press conference at the Bologna Motor Show to confirm that the motorway electronic toll payment service (Telepass) will now be extended to include motorbikes.

While little concrete detail was actually revealed, the country's sprawling network of motorway service stations will now be used to promote key Italian products, and in Fiat's case, to offer road users a close-up look at the latest models in a relaxed environment.

For Fiat this will be an extension of a new strategy that they have recently embarked on, the 'Spazio Fiat'. In October, surrounded by ties, shirts, and other men's apparel from prestigious Italian brands, a Fiat Panda 4x4 Climbing was placed on display at the famous Rinascente department store, on the Piazza del Duomo, in the fashion conscious centre of Milan.

This new concept was widened last month when the Lancia Musa became the Italian shopper's ultimate Christmas gift, the upmarket 'mini' people carrier going on display at several high street stores in the busy run up to the festive period. The Musa is now on display at the High Tech and Cargo stores in Milan, and at the Concept Store Tad in Rome.

Lancia have embarked on this strategy as they believe that the new Musa shares the same characteristics as these prestigious stores: innovation, functionality, aesthetic beauty and Italian hospitality.

Meanwhile, at the Bologna presentation Gamberale commented, "I always thought that in Italy we need to be proud of consuming Italian products, "So we will turn service areas into market places for products made in Italy."
 

Elkann, the grandson of former Fiat Group Chairman Gianni Agnelli, and whose family still remain the industrial giant's largest and most influential group of shareholders, has been charged with bringing out all the Italian virtues so embedded into Fiat's philosophy.

Recently Fiat have associated themselves with a host of Italian names famous for their embodiment of Italian style, an example being the cute little Fiat Panda which was recently given a makeover by the well respected designer, Alessi.

At the Bologna Motor Show itself, an array of specially prepared Fiat models, such as the Multipla Sport and Idea Limited Edition, bear the hallmarks of Lapo Elkann's latest thoughts and direction.

"Surely it will be a strong and very interesting project because it is going to unite different companies and brands of our beautiful country," further commented Elkann at the press comment. "It will be the teamwork of all Italians we are proud of."

Offering some further insight into the plans, Gamberale concluded that the service areas would become marketplaces that reflected their particular regional location. "Regional flavours and products, a vision of tourist potentials, architectonical monuments of the territory in other words, they shall represent everything the surroundings offer.

We have to think that today the segmentation of highway users is being more and more diversified, the spare time and holiday component is growing", he concluded.