Alfa Romeo EV will NOT be called Milano after claims it breaks the law by being built in Poland
Last week we brought you details about Alfa Romeo’s first electric car, the Milano.
But in a monumental fallout in Italy, the company has made a screeching U-turn over the car’s name after being accused of breaking a national law.
This is because the electric compact SUV is being built in Poland – the first time an Alfa Romeo has been produced outside the country’s borders – and the Minister of Business and Made in Italy claimed that the rules mean it cannot bear an Italian name.
The company has confirmed a new nameplate, but it sounds considerably less ‘La Dolce Vita’, although the new Junior name has Alfa heritage.
Milan no more: Alfa Romeo has made a U-turn with the name of its first electric car. After it was unveiled as the Milano last week, there has been a huge row in Italy over the name
Alfa Romeo, a brand steeped in Italian automotive history, last week unveiled the new Milano electric SUV, named after the iconic northern Italian city where the iconic manufacturer was founded in 1910.
But shortly after the car was officially unveiled, Industry Minister Adolfo Urso, whose official title is Minister of Affairs and Made in Italy, criticized Alfa Romeo’s parent company Stellantis for producing the EV abroad.
The car is made at the Tychy factory in Poland and is the first Alfa Romeo model to be produced entirely outside Italy.
‘A car called Milano cannot be produced in Poland. This is prohibited by Italian law,” Urso said in Turin, referring to 2003 legislation targeting “Italian-sounding” products that falsely claim to be Italian.
‘This law stipulates that you may not give instructions that mislead consumers.
‘So a car called Milano must be produced in Italy.
“Otherwise it gives a misleading indication that is not allowed under Italian law,” Urso added.
Adolfo Urso, Italy’s industry minister, slammed Alfa Romeo’s parent company Stellantis for using the Milano name on a car built abroad.’ A car called Milano cannot be produced in Poland. This is prohibited by Italian law,” he said
Alfa Romeo unveiled the new Milano electric SUV, named after the iconic northern Italian city where the iconic manufacturer was founded in 1910
The car is made at the Tychy factory in Poland and is the first Alfa Romeo model to be produced entirely outside Italy. As such, Urso says it is a violation of national laws to call it Milano
Urso’s complaint is the latest in a war of words between Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s nationalist government and the French-Italian carmaker, as the two sides hold talks over a plan to boost domestic car production to a million units.
The law mentioned by Urso says it is illegal to represent a product produced abroad as coming from Italy.
Most often it is applied against food products, for example US-made ‘parmesan cheese’ which is similar to the famous ‘parmigiano’ from Italy.
Urso’s complaint is the latest in a war of words between Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s nationalist government and the French-Italian carmaker, as the two sides hold talks over a plan to boost domestic car production to a million units.
Alfa Romeo released an official statement this week saying it had dropped the Milano name and replaced it with ‘Junior’
Alfa Romeo provided an official response on Monday and says it has now made the decision to change the name of the EV to ‘Junior’.
‘Despite the fact that Alfa Romeo believes that the name meets all legal requirements and that there are matters much more important than the name of a new car, Alfa Romeo has decided to change it from Milano to Junior, in the spirit of promoting mutual understanding,” the spokesperson said. statement said.
And in a backward swipe at Mr Urso, the car company added: ‘The Alfa Romeo team would like to thank the public for the positive feedback, the Italian dealer network for their support, journalists for the enormous media attention given to the new car datum. car and the Italian government for the free publicity this debate brings.’
It added: ‘With a unique story and an endless list of names to choose from, the name change was a no-brainer.
“It was a pleasure to go through the list of names selected as favorites from the audience’s suggestions, including Junior.”
The Junior’s interior is ‘driver-focused for an authentic and engaging driving experience’ with a continuing sporty theme and Italian flair
The electric Junior promises to be practical for a small car: with a loading capacity of 400 liters, the trunk is the largest of all EVs in its class
Jean-Philippe Imparato, CEO of Alfa Romeo, said: ‘We have decided to change the name, even though we know it is not mandatory, because we want to preserve the positive emotion that our products have always evoked and avoid any kind of controversy.
‘The attention we have received for our new sports compact in recent days is quite exciting as we have had an unprecedented number of visits to the online configurator, causing the website to crash for a few hours.’
Stefano Odorici – President of the Italian Alfa Romeo Dealers Association added: ‘Alfa Romeo is an inclusive brand that welcomes and generates passion and positive emotions.
‘You can see it clearly when I look into the eyes of our customers when they come to our dealers to view, test, buy and collect Alfa Romeo cars.
‘For this reason, we welcome the company’s decision to change the name of the car from Milano to Junior in light of the latest news, which could impact the enthusiasm and enormous attention the new car has received in recent time from our customers. .
‘Junior, like Milano, are both great names that have their roots in the history of the brand. It is no coincidence that they were immediately among the audience favorites.’
The name ‘Junior’ has a lot of history for Alfa Romeo
Pictured: a 1970 Alfa Romeo 1300 Junior GT
Following the success of the Giulia and its Giulia Sprint GT coupé version in the early 1960s, Alfa Romeo’s aim was to attract a new, younger audience eager for an exclusive car without a high price tag or high running costs.
On September 26, 1966, the GT 1300 Junior was unveiled in Balocco and despite the absence of the Giulia name, it was the leader of a new Alfa Romeo generation.
Similar versions of the Spider range will also be identified with the Junior.
The most important mechanical variant was the use of the 1,290cc twin-cam engine, which – thanks to the single power supply and the new timing – delivered 89 hp and a top speed of over 170 km/h, only slightly less than that of the 1600. the fact that it could deliver performance and driving pleasure at a high level.
The bodywork was also updated with a special and more youthful upholstery.
With sales of more than 92,000 units, the GT 1300 Junior quickly became the bestseller in the range and a true status symbol of its time.
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