Why Alfa Romeo is changing the name of its first electric car

Something like this rarely happens: Shortly before going on sale, Alfa Romeo changed the car’s name. The name “Milano” apparently met with political opposition.

When it comes to choosing a car model name, not every manufacturer is always lucky. Because not in every country the name of the model has the same meaning as in the country of the car manufacturer – and this leads to strange names, such as Fiat “Trottel” (this is how “Uno” can be translated in Swedish). In extreme cases, cars are even renamed in the respective country: such as the Mitsubishi Pajero, which is called the Montero in Spanish-speaking countries. Alfa Romeo has now also changed the name of the model – apparently due to political pressure.

Can a car called “Milano” be produced in Poland?

Alfa Romeo’s new SUV, which is either purely electric or available as a plug-in hybrid, celebrated its world premiere with the name “Milano” – the Italian name for the city of Milan. A car manufacturer was once established there. However, the name angered some politicians. The reason: The name practically indicates that it is a car produced in Italy – but the SUV comes off the assembly line in Poland.

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Alfa Romeo sees no fault in itself – but changes the name to “Milano” anyway

The political move stemmed from a law prohibiting the use of Italian brand names for products not made in Italy. However, this is about food – like Parma ham.

As Alfa Romeo announced in a statement, they are sure that the name has met all the requirements. Although they did not have to do so, they still decided to change the name of the model in the spirit of “mutual compromise”. They have now decided on the name Junior because it is also “closely linked to the history of our brand”.