Last week we brought you details of Alfa Romeo’s first electric vehicle, the Milano.
But a monumental fallout in Italy has caused the company to do a 180-degree turn on the car’s name after it was accused of violating a national law.
This is because the electric compact SUV is being manufactured in Poland – the first time an Alfa Romeo has been produced outside national borders – and the Minister for Business and Made in Italy has claimed that rules mean it cannot bear a name Italian.
The company has confirmed a new name, but it sounds much less “La Dolce Vita”, although the new Junior moniker has Alfa heritage.
Milan is over: Alfa Romeo has made a 180-degree turn to the name of its first electric vehicle. After being introduced as Milano last week, there has been a monumental controversy in Italy over his name.
Alfa Romeo, a brand steeped in Italian automotive history, last week unveiled the new Milano electric SUV, named after the iconic city in northern Italy where the iconic manufacturer was founded in 1910.
But shortly after the car was officially revealed, Industry Minister Adolfo Urso, whose official title is Minister of Business and Made in Italy, criticized Alfa Romeo’s parent company Stellantis for producing the electric vehicle abroad. .
The car is manufactured at the Tychy plant in Poland and is the first Alfa Romeo model produced entirely outside of Italy.
«In Poland you cannot make a car called Milano. “This is prohibited by Italian law,” Urso said in Turin, referring to 2003 legislation that targets “Italian-sounding” products that falsely claim to be Italian.
‘This law stipulates that no indications may be given that mislead consumers.
«Therefore, a car called Milano must be manufactured in Italy.
“Otherwise it would give a misleading indication that is not permitted by Italian law,” Urso added.
Adolfo Urso, Italy’s industry minister, criticized Alfa Romeo’s parent company Stellantis for using the Milano name on a foreign-made car. In Poland you cannot make a car called Milano. This is prohibited by Italian law,” he stated.
Alfa Romeo presented the new electric SUV Milano, named after the iconic city in northern Italy where the iconic manufacturer was founded in 1910.
The car is manufactured at the Tychy plant in Poland and is the first Alfa Romeo model produced entirely outside of Italy. Therefore, Urso says that calling it Milano is a violation of national laws.
Urso’s complaint is the latest in a war of words between Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s nationalist government and the Franco-Italian carmaker, as both sides hold talks over a plan to increase domestic car production to one million. units.
The law mentioned by Urso establishes that it is illegal to present a foreign product as if it were Italian.
It has typically been invoked against food products, for example, American-made “Parmesan” cheese, which resembles Italy’s famous “Parmigiano.”
Urso’s complaint is the latest in a war of words between Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s nationalist government and the Franco-Italian carmaker, as both sides hold talks over a plan to increase domestic car production to one million. units.
Alfa Romeo issued an official statement this week saying it had removed the Milano name and replaced it with ‘Junior’.
Alfa Romeo issued an official response on Monday, saying it has now made the decision to change the name of the electric vehicle to “Junior.”
“Although Alfa Romeo believes that the name meets all legal requirements and that there are much more important issues 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 statement said.
And in an ambiguous attack on Mr Urso, the carmaker added: “The Alfa Romeo team would like to thank the public for the positive comments, the Italian dealer network for their support, the journalists for the enormous media attention given to the new Car and the Italian Government for the free publicity that this debate has provided.’
He added: “With a unique history and an endless list of names to choose from, the name change was not a problem.
“It was a pleasure to go through the list of names selected as favorites based on public suggestions, one of which was Junior.”
The Junior’s interior is “driver-oriented for an authentic and engaging driving experience” with a continued sporty theme and Italian flair.
The electric Junior promises to be practical for a small car: the trunk is the largest of any electric vehicle in its class, with a cargo capacity of 400 liters.
Jean-Philippe Imparato, CEO of Alfa Romeo, said: ‘We decided to change the name, although we know that we are not obliged to do so, because we want to preserve the positive emotion that our products have always generated and avoid any type of controversy.
“The attention we have received in recent days towards our new sports compact is very exciting, as we had a record number of visits to the online configurator, which caused the website to crash for a couple of hours.”
Stefano Odorici, president of the Italian Alfa Romeo dealer association, also added: ‘Alfa Romeo is an inclusive brand, which 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 see, test drive, buy and collect Alfa Romeo cars at our dealerships.
“For this reason, we welcome the decision taken by the company to change the name of the car from Milano to Junior in light of the latest developments, which could affect the enthusiasm and enormous attention that the new car is receiving from our clients in recent times.
‘Junior, like Milano, are beautiful names that have their roots in the history of the brand. It is no coincidence that they were immediately among the public’s favourites.’
The name ‘Junior’ has a lot of history for Alfa Romeo
In the photo: a 1970 Alfa Romeo 1300 Junior GT
After the success of the Giulia and its Giulia Sprint GT coupe version in the early 1960s, Alfa Romeo’s goal was to attract a new, younger audience, eager for an exclusive car that did not have a huge price or running costs. .
On September 26, 1966, the GT 1300 Junior was presented at Balocco and, despite lacking the Giulia name, it was the leader of a new generation of Alfa Romeo.
Similar versions of the Spider range will also be identified with the Junior.
The main mechanical variant was the adoption of the 1,290 cc twin-shaft engine which, thanks to the single power supply and the new synchronization, delivered 89 HP and a maximum speed of more than 170 km/h, just a little less than that of the 1600, in addition to the fact that it could offer high-level performance and driving pleasure.
The bodywork was also updated with a more dedicated and youthful finish.
With sales of more than 92,000 units, the GT 1300 Junior soon became the best-seller in the range and a true status symbol of its time.
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