Italian law puts brakes on name

ALFA Romeo revealed its new Milano compact crossover to much pomp and ceremony, given that it’s the Italian brand’s new entry point and will probably become a top volume seller.

But now, the Italian government has put a spoke in its wheel by stating that using the Milano name would be illegal as the new model was built in Poland.

In a statement this week, Alfa Romeo said that although it believed the name met all legal requirements, it had decided to change the name from Milano to Junior in the spirit of “promoting mutual understanding” and because there were “issues much more important than the name of a new car”.

This came after Italy’s Industry Minister Adolfo Urso said: “A car called Milano cannot be produced in Poland. This is against the law.”

Urso said the law stipulated a product’s name should not be misleading.

“A car called Milano must be produced in Italy. Otherwise, it gives a misleading indication which is not allowed under Italian law," he added.

This is not the first time Alfa Romeo has been forced to backtrack after giving the Milano name to a car.

For some context, Milan is the birthplace of Alfa Romeo, but the company closed its plant there in 2000,

and a decade later, it was moving its last employees to the Turin headquarters. The Giulietta hatchback that was launched in 2010 was meant to use the Milano name but given the aforementioned situation, the brand bowed to political pressure and renamed it at the last minute.

That was before the reveal, saving the brand from the embarrassment it is facing with the new SUV.

That said, Alfa Romeo doesn’t seem embarrassed. It thanked the Italian government for the “free publicity” that the issue had generated.

Alfa’s initial choice to use the Milano name came after a public vote. The Junior name was apparently next on the list of preferences for the new compact crossover.

Junior has a heritage of its own, fittingly having featured on the brand’s entry-level coupé from 1965 to 1977, which featured a 1.3-litre twin cam engine that was considered advanced for its time.

The modern Junior, built on Stellantis parent company’s new e-CMP platform, is available in petrol and electric (EV) variants.

The EV models offer outputs of 114kW and 177kW, while the 1.2-litre turbocharged ICE mild hybrid model is good for 100kW.

The new Alfa Romeo Junior is under consideration for South Africa, but timing and other details remain under wraps for now.

THE Alfa Romeo Milano is a compact crossover.