Italy doesn’t approve of Alfa Romeo calling its first electric car “Milano”

The name of the electric SUV Alfa Romeo wanted to pay tribute to the city of the manufacturer, which did not please the Italian government. The Minister of Industry considers this an illegal act, due to being transferred to Poland.

From September, Alfa Romeo will finally have a 100% electric model, called “Milano”. It presents itself as a small crossover from the B segment, which is supposed to replace the Giulietta and MiTo, and the grille that has attracted attention as it does not hesitate to modify the manufacturer’s logo to a large extent, may not please everyone.

This Alfa Romeo Milano is particularly controversial, but the main reason is not its SUV shape or size. His main problem is his name. By wanting to pay tribute to the birthplace of Alfa Romeo in 1910, Milan, the manufacturer, a member of the Stellantis group, has attracted the ire of the Italian Minister of Industry Adolfo Urso.

In an interview with European Car News, Adolfo Urso was indeed brave in pointing out the illegality behind Alfa Romeo’s practice of naming a model produced in Poland after an Italian city. Stellantis does not produce its Alfa Romeo Milano in Italy but at its assembly in Tychy, west of Krakow.

The minister referred to a 2003 law specifying a ban on the sale of products with Italian-sounding names that are not made in Italy. “A car called the Milano cannot be produced in Italy”he protested, before adding: “It is prohibited by Italian law”. For Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis, it’s a struggle.

The boss of the car group born from the merger between PSA and FCA explained, during the presentation of Alfa Romeo Milano, that “prototyping is done in Italy, design is done in Italy, engineering is done in Italy. Italy. The fact that the car is connected in other countries it does not mean that it is not Italy. The explanation supported by the need, according to the boss of Portuguese origin, to abolish passport borders in Europe.

He also gave an example of the economic aspect, which is significant here, confirming that with German production, Alfa Romeo will save 10,000 euros on the final price of its car, available from the same 40,500 euros, in its 100% electric version. Note that this new Alfa Romeo Milano is based on the same platform as the Jeep Avenger, which is also used in the Peugeot e-2008 and Opel Mokka-e.

Italy’s initiative with an electric car

If the Italian government does not change much, it is also for economic reasons. At the beginning of January, the country announced a new investment plan of 8.7 billion euros extending to 2030 so that car manufacturers can return to producing their cars in Italy.

It is clear that Fiat is involved, although the manufacturer only produces the electric Fiat 500 at its historic factory in Turin. Of course this is not enough for the government of Giorgia Meloni, especially since the sale of the model (and also its production) is very complicated. The government also hopes that Tesla will set up a second assembly plant in Europe after the Berlin Gigafactory in Germany.

For 2024 alone, 930 million euros have been allocated to this new strategic plan. The financing also includes greater support for the purchase of electric vehicles by customers, which rises to 13,750 euros for those whose annual income does not exceed 30,000 euros and who want to convert a car classified to Euro 2 standards manufactured in 1997.

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Source:

European Car News