Alfa Romeo changes name of car after un-Italian row

Stellantis brand Alfa Romeo is changing the name of its new “Milano” to “Junior” to end a row with Italy’s government, which has criticised the choice of an Italian name for a vehicle made in Poland.

“Though we think the ‘Milano’ name met all legal requirements, we took the decision to change it to ‘Junior’ to ease relations with the Italian government,” Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato said.

A day after Alfa Romeo’s first electric vehicle (EV) was launched in Milan, Italy’s industry minister, Adolfo Urso, said its name violated an Italian law that targets “Italian sounding” products that falsely claim to be Italian.

“Milano” was meant to be a tribute to the Italian city where Alfa Romeo was founded in 1910. The “Junior” name also references the Italian brand’s history as it evokes one of its successful models from the 1960s.

Imparato said the group had not been happy to find itself drawn into the quarrel, but was completely focusing on the commercial launch of the new model, which is built at the Tychy plant in Poland alongside Fiat and Jeep models.

Imparato said the “Milano” name had been disclosed in December and the decision to produce the car in Poland had been public for a long time. “The government could have moved this criticism before, not the day after the launch.”

Urso’s complaint was the latest in a war of words between Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s nationalist government and Stellantis as the two sides hold talks on a plan to boost domestic vehicle production to 1-million units.

Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares was quoted by Automotive News last week as saying producing the “Milano” in Poland rather than Italy will shave €10,000 (about R202,000) off its retail price, which starts at under €30,000 for its cheaper hybrid version.