The Government Forced the Alfa Romeo Milano to Change Names
Do you get your drama from an Italian Mama? Well, the Alfa Romeo Milano sort of does. Because the Milano is being built in Poland, Italy pressured Stellantis to change its name, so welcome the Alfa Romeo Junior.
The Alfa Romeo Milano is now the Junior
Stellantis just proudly displayed the Alfa Romeo Milano for the world to see, but things didn’t go very smoothly. The Milano is out and the Alfa Romeo Junior is in.
The name was changed from Milano to Junior after the Italian government cracked down. Italy Industry Minister, Adolfo Urso criticized Alfa Romeo for marketing a vehicle with an Italian name when it’s being built in Poland.
He shared that a car called Milano can’t be Produced in Poland. It’s forbidden by Italian law. Also, to be specific, the Milano is built at the Alfa Romeo Tychy assembly plant.
There is some legislation that prevents Italian-sounding products from falsely claiming that it’s produced in Italy.
The law stipulates that you can’t provide indications that mislead consumers. So, if the Milano SUV isn’t produced in Italy, therefore it has a misleading indication, which isn’t allowed under Italian law.
This tracks as anything Alfa Romeo builds seems to be oozing an Italian spirit and personality. Plus, the nameplate does refer to Milan, the Italian city where the automaker got its start.
But the Junior doesn’t sound as great. Milano sounds exotic, delicious, and tempting. Junior has adolescent vibes. But ‘Junior’ is neutral and the name was voted on by the public.
The 2025 Junior EV is the first electric vehicle from the Alfa Romeo brand. It’s a subcompact SUV that’s about the same size as the Kia Soul.
It has up to 240 hp, and an estimated range of about 255 miles. It shares parts with the Fiat 600 and Jeep Avenger, but none of these vehicles are coming to America.
