And the Fiat 124 has the same basic design as the Lada 1200.
Both will usually get you where you’re going, I bet the Fiat is a little more comfortable, and the Lada more robust.
It’s just a question of whether you prefer the assembly being done by someone drunk on Italian wine, or Russian vodka...
The problem is when the brand-name sticks even when the product quality has gone down. (Like Boeing, which has outsourced much of its manufacturing.)