Detroit suburbs beckon Fiat executives with $1,595 sandals

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Daimler bought Chrysler in 1998 for $36bn. The combined company lasted until August 2007, when Cerberus Capital Management bought out 80 percent of Chrysler for around $7.4bn.

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"Despite the trauma of the Big Three's crisis, Detroit remains the most international auto city in the world," said Florida, 51, whose wife, Rana, is a Birmingham native. "It is a small-scale global auto economy."

While the DaimlerChrysler deal didn't work out for shareholders, it helped the Detroit area in other ways, according to Boyle, the Wayne State professor.

"The venture had a positive social impact thanks to the many Germans that moved here," said Boyle, 57, who has lived in Birmingham for the past 17 years and chairs the city's Planning Board. "If Fiat will be able to do what Daimler couldn't, the benefits for the US auto industry and the local economy will be huge."

Bloomfield Hills International Academy, a public high school established 13 years ago to meet the education needs of foreign arrivals, may offer Italian for its extracurricular program, said Jennifer VanDusen, director of the institution's international center. The school currently teaches French, Spanish, German and Chinese.

Fiat's deal with Chrysler "brought positive attention to the brand and increased Americans' awareness of the fact that Fiat is also Maserati and Ferrari," said Nate Wonboy, 40, brand manager at Maserati's dealership in nearby Troy, Michigan.

"Personally, I'm very excited at the idea that soon we might have a local Alfa Romeo dealership," said Boyle.

Fiat also makes Alfa-Romeos. Only the most expensive model, the limited-edition Alfa 8C Competizione, listed at $289,515, is currently available in the US.

"I'd love to have Italians as my clients," said Daskas, the fashion shop owner. She specialises in high-end brands such as Miu Miu and Valentino.

"We are the only boutique that sells these shoes in the US, together with the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas," she said, pointing at the Chrissie Morris sandals, which are made in pink stingray and green python leathers with black suede trim.

Assuming Fiat managers do go for Daskas's multicoloured footwear, there's still the question of how much they'll like the rest of the Detroit area. Turin, host city of the 2006 Winter Olympics, is an hour's drive from the Alps. It's in Italy's Piedmont region, famous for truffles and Barolo wines.

Aversa said that while Italians relocating to Michigan may find the winters harsh and the cultural life wanting, the place does have its advantages.

"The school system is first class and people are very friendly," said Aversa, 48, the AlixPartners co-president, whose two teenage children attended the private Detroit Country Day School nearby. GM's Wagoner sent his children there. Microsoft Corp CEO Steve Ballmer is an alumnus.

Another big plus is home prices. In Birmingham, $1m buys a 5,000-square-foot house with a yard, according to Weir Manuel Realtors. In Turin's city center, where a Fiat manager is likely to live, $1m would get a 2,000 sq ft apartment, according to Pirelli Real Estate SpA, a real estate management company in Italy.

There's no word yet on relocation plans of Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne, who has said that he will take the same spot at Chrysler when the company emerges from bankruptcy. In a May 6 interview, he declined to say whether he would move to Detroit.

"I'm always travelling," said Marchionne, who currently resides in Geneva. "It doesn't really matter where I live."

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