Alfa Romeo Milano that becomes Junior: why are the Fiat 500 and 600 not affected?

Alfa Romeo has decided to change the name of its new model from “Milano” to “Junior”. This change, although not necessary, was motivated by reasons of peace of mind and to avoid any controversy surrounding the use of Italian geographical names, especially when the production is not in Italy. This decision raises an important question: why shouldn’t the Fiat 500 and 600 models, also produced outside Italy, suffer the same fate?

To understand this difference, it is important interested in the idea of ​​an “Italian sound”. This term refers to the use of names, images or symbols that evoke Italy to promote products that are not necessarily made in the country. This has often been a topic of debate in Italy, where the government tries to protect the authenticity and origin of Italian products.

In the case of Alfa Romeo Milano, the choice of name was originally a tribute to the city where the brand was founded in 1910. However, as Car production was organized in Poland, this raised concerns about the impact of the choice of name on the perception of the product’s authenticity. In fact, the Minister of Made in Italy had stated that the use of the name “Milano” was against the law due to these effects.

However, for Fiat 500 and 600 the situation is different. Although these models have Italian flags on their bodies and are also produced in Poland, they have names that do not directly refer to Italian geographical areas. The Fiat 500 and Fiat 600, as examples, are already well established and recognized internationally without mentioning the Italian geographic specificity, thus reducing the problems associated with the “Italian sound”.