A few days ago, Alfa Romeo unveiled its first electric SUV, the Milano. But under pressure, the brand had to change this name!
The brand gave in to pressure from political figures in Italy, who were scandalized when they discovered that the Milano was made in Poland. However, there is a law in Italy which fights against the use of Italian names by products not made in Italy. Obviously, the main concern is to see an Alfa assembled in Eastern Europe, while certain Stellantis factories are idling in Italy, notably that of Mirafiori where the 500th comes out.
Faced with this controversy, Alfa therefore made a radical choice. In a press release, he announced the abandonment of Milano in favor of Junior. The brand emphasizes, however, that “the name Milano complies with all legal requirements”. But Jean-Philippe Imparato, boss of the brand, declares: “We have decided to change our name, even if we know we are not obliged to do so, because we want to preserve the positive emotion that our products have always aroused and avoid any type of controversy”.
In short, quickly evacuate a controversy in Italy, an obviously very important market for Alfa, which could have dragged on and parasitized the commercial debut of the vehicle. Milano was chosen to pay homage to the cradle of the brand, on the occasion of its entry into a new era in 2024 with electric.
For Jean-Philippe Imparato, “the choice of the name Junior is completely natural, because it is strongly linked to the history of the brand. He’s been one of our and the public’s favorites since the beginning.” Junior comes from an Alfa coupe born in 1966.
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