The Italian minister accuses Stellantis of giving an illegal name to Alfa Romeo Milano

Stellantis has just officially launched Alfa Romeo Milano on Wednesday April 10, 2024. The event took place in the presence of Carlos Tavares, the boss of Stellantis, who took the opportunity to settle scores with Italy. The manager seemed fed up with the ongoing speculation that Stellantis would leave Italy.

His speech was clearly not enough to silence all criticism. This time, the blame comes from Adolfo Urso, the Italian Minister of Trade and Made in Italy, apparently. Electrek on the 12th of April. Adolfo Urso believes that Stellantis has no right to give an Italian-sounding name to the new electric car, since the car will be built entirely abroad. In fact, Stellantis has decided to build the Alfa Romeo Milano in its Tychy factory, which is located in southern Poland.

A car called Milano and built in Poland? “It is prohibited by Italian law”

« A car called the Milano cannot be produced in Poland. It is prohibited by Italian law », affirmed Adolfo Urso, quoted in an Auto News article. In 2003, the Italian Parliament agreed the law banning the sale of products with an Italian-sounding name if they are not made in Italy.

« This law states that it is prohibited to provide misleading information to users. So the car called Milano will be made in Italy. Otherwise, it gives a misleading indication that is not authorized by Italian law », added the minister.

As Electrek points out, this Italian law is generally used to protect the name of Italian food products. Recycling in the automotive industry is more common. The minister’s comments are certainly an attempt to put new pressure on Stellantis, more than a real threat to take the group to court over the name of his car.

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Motoring News reports that Stellantis declined to comment on the subject. In any case, we can guess that this will not help to calm the conflicted relationship that has existed for several months between Stellantis and the Italian government.

Will the Italian minister win his case against Stellantis? The tumultuous relationship between the government and developers has been covered in Watt Else, Numerama’s magazine. Simply sign up to receive it for free, every Thursday.

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