Unusual: faced with Italian protests, the new Alfa Romeo Milano was named Junior

Alfa Romeo Milano… no, Junior

We haven’t brought you the latest Alfa Romeo Milano yet and that’s a good thing as it’s no longer a Milano!!

This electric urban SUV (but also a 136 hp hybrid) which will take in its Veloce version the technical platform of the Abarth 600e (traction, 54 kWh battery, 240 hp, extended track and special anti-roll bars front and rear). ). Modified rear system, suspension and brakes, 20-inch rims) that we will also find in Lancia are not very sporty.

Gueguerre Italy/France

But the sequence of events is unusual enough to be explained again since the Italian government announced publicly through its Minister of Industry that it did not accept the car to bear the name of the city in the country even though its production will take place in the country. Poland (or still 500 has been released since rebirth)! It will even be ‘prohibited by law’ according to the Italian minister who notes that any product with an Italian-sounding name must be produced in Italy.

This episode follows a long series of conflicts between the government of Meloni and Stellantis. In fact, Meloni accused Stellantis, the country’s only major car manufacturer, of favoring French interests to the detriment of Italy’s. Meloni also criticized the birth of the group as ” it is owed “to connect which” it would actually be a covert takeover by France«.

Carlos Tavares emphasized during the presentation of the car that the profitability of the project requires local production in Poland, explaining that ” If it had been built in Italy, the Milano (today Junior) would have been sold from 40,000 euros instead of 30,000 euros, which would have reduced its market power..

Alfa Romeo wants to calm things down

To calm the discontent that continued to grow, Jean-Philippe Imparato, the boss of Alfa Romeo, decided to change the name of the small SUV. Milano is no more, hello Junior.

Junior is the name that was used for the Giulia in the 1960s and was long considered to be what would eventually be called the MiTo. Imparato explained that even if he is sure to win in court against the government’s accusations, he prefers to calm the debate and change his name. However, he put forward arguments that show Alfa Romeo was right:

• The name Milano was chosen in honor of the city where Alfa was born in 1910.
• The Milano came first in an online survey of Alfa enthusiasts conducted last summer (“Junior” came second)
• Alfa never said or suggested that the car was built in Milan or Italy.
• Milano/Junior was designed and manufactured in Italy.
• The words “Made in Poland” are clearly displayed in the vehicle identification number on one pillar.
• A number of cars have names of cities that are not connected to their production sites (for example, Kia Sorento and Rio, Nissan Murano, Hyundai Santa Fe and Tucson; Toyota Tacoma and Chevrolet Malibu).
• Alfa said 18 months ago that its next small car would be built in Poland.
• Milano’s name was announced on December 13 (in Milan) and the government did not react until a day after Milano’s presentation (April 10).

« When you get into political debates you immediately lose half of your buyers and we wanted to avoid that”, said JP. Imparato who indicated that the financial impact of the name change will be minimal, as production has not yet started and very few marketing projects will need to be changed.

Orders will open on April 25 and the launch version of the Milano Speciale with additional equipment is available in electric (40,500 euros) or hybrid (31,500 euros).