Alfa Romeo ‘Milano’ is an illegal name, according to the Italian government

It was not an easy task, finding a name for the new Alfa Romeo crossover. For example, rumors have been circulating for years that the model would be called ‘Brennero’, but admit it: a name that sounds a lot like ‘burner’ doesn’t match the first one. rule EV of the brand. The Italians sent one appeal to their fans to submit proposals, but when nothing useful came out, they named it after the birthplace of Alfa Romeo: Milan… And that doesn’t seem like a good idea either.

‘Alfa Romeo Tychy’ and what?

In Italy, Adolfo Urso, Minister of Industry, has spoken about new Alfa Romeo Milano and the man should say less not amused. According to Urso, the crossover name would violate Italian law that prohibits the sale of products with misleading names that refer to Italy. Or in concrete terms: the car is called ‘Milano’ but it will only sit side by side with the sister models Jeep Avenger in Fiat 600 be built in a Polish factory in Tychy… So what the Minister wants to say is that they should call it ‘Alfa Romeo Tychy’ if they don’t want to build it in Italy.

This is not the first time that the Italian government has applied this law to car manufacturers. For example, the unknown manufacturer ‘dR’ was criticized last year for being too enthusiastic about their Italian origins, when the brand is now in Chinese hands and the cars are built there. In the case of Alfa Romeo, however, the discussion seems to be more personal because the Stellantis group of which the brand is a part has been in discussions with the Italian government for some time to receive more support in exchange for local production. In the same debate, for example, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares also spoke out earlier this week against the Italian government’s plans Chinese brands to build factories in Italy. In short: this is nothing more than an old-fashioned political argument game.