The Italian disaster is perfect for Stellantis

1. Fulda newspaper
2. Political economy

Stand: April 16, 2024, 8:14 pm

From: Patrick Freiwah

After a long break from advertising, Alfa Romeo releases a new model. However, a strange naming dispute is forcing the traditional Italian manufacturer to take drastic measures.

Turin/Munich – During globalization, car manufacturers often produce abroad. Also a cult Italian brand Alfa Romeo It is not safe for this development to save costs in production and thus make cheaper models for end customers.

After a two-year hiatus, the manufacturer is launching a new Alfa Romeo Milano model. But shortly before the market launch, the parent company is forced to take a drastic step: the name of the SUV is changed without further ado.

Alfa Romeo produces abroad: the conflict between Stellantis and Italy

The reason is a name dispute started by Italy’s right-wing conservative government. Industry Minister Adolfo Urso refers to a law that was passed in 2003 under former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi: It specifies that “Italian-sounding” products must also be made in Italy. If not, it will be falsely claimed that production takes place on the Apennine Peninsula.

And that applies to the planned Alfa Romeo Milano: Instead of being made in Italy, the car will be manufactured in a Polish factory in Tychy and from there shipped to other countries – including its original country. Contrary to some experts – including Stellantis himself – the government under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is of the opinion that the regulation does not only apply to the food sector, but also to domestic automotive products. “You must not provide any information that misleads the user. “So a car with the name Milano must be made in Italy,” says Urso.

Junior instead of Milano: The new model from Alfa Romeo gets a new name

Due to a naming dispute with the government, Alfa Romeo is now giving up and changing the name of the newly introduced car, so that the model series will be called Alfa Romeo Junior in the future. In a statement, Stellantis said: “We are fully aware that this moment will go down in the history of Alfa Romeo. The choice of the name of the model Junior is logical as it is closely linked to the history of our brand. (…) We have decided to change the name, although we are not obliged to do so so.â

The company explains in published in the mediathat they wanted to “avoid any controversy” and that attention in the wake of the conflict with the Italian government was “heavy”. At the same time, the site even crashed due to a huge flood of users. “Milano”, the Italian name for the city of Milan, is the birthplace of the car manufacturer ALFA (“Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili”), which was renamed Alfa Romeo in 1918 as part of a takeover.

Italy: Government criticizes Stellantis for moving production

What makes the name change even more annoying from the point of view of many fans of the brand: The model name Milano was chosen by public vote to honor the city where the history of Alfa Romeo began in 1910. This hype created by the marketing department was now completely free. A short-term transfer of production from Poland to Italy should not have been an issue due to cost reasons.