The car was unveiled, the name was there and expectations were high. Alfa Romeo’s first electric car was to be named after the city where the traditional Italian brand was founded: Milano. However, the electric SUV is now going on sale as the Alfa Romeo Junior. Alfa Romeo confirmed this in a statement.
Adolfo Urso is said to be responsible for the new name
, Italian Minister of Enterprise and Made in Italy, in Italian: Ministero delle imprese e del Made in Italy. His post is equivalent to that of German Economics Minister. He is a member of the post-fascist governing party Fratelli d’Italia. media reports
According to him, he is said to have initiated the name change because the junior was not in Italy is manufactured. A 2003 law prohibits the use of Italian brand names on products manufactured outside the country. But the junior will be in Poland manufactured. So it shouldn’t be called “Milano”.
The law is intended to ensure protected names from the agriculture and food sectors. For example the famous Parmesan cheese or the San Marzano tomatoes. Where it says Italy on it, there should be Italy in it.
Alfa Romeo reacted calmly in a statement. The name Milano was found in a selection process together with the public. Just like the last time in 1966 with the Alfa Romeo Spider. Nevertheless, they are now willing to follow the order from Rome, “in the spirit of mutual understanding,” as it was said. The company was named Milano Stellantis, which includes the Alfa Romeo brand, was proposed to honor the city where Alfa Romeo was founded in 1910.
“We are fully aware that this moment will go down in the history of Alfa Romeo,” said Jean-Philippe Imparato, CEO of Alfa Romeo. “We have decided to change the name, although we are not obliged to do so,” Imparato continued. The order from Rome can be understood as the next step in the dispute between the post-fascist government of Georgia Meloni and the car company Stellantis. The government wants to oblige the company to produce more cars in Italy. Stellantis estimates that the Junior would be around 10,000 more expensive if it were made in Italy.
The options are purely electric or with mild hybrid technology
The handy SUV car, 4.17 meters long, is scheduled to go on sale this summer. Alfa Romeo has not yet announced prices. However, the fourth series from the Italians is based on the same modular system as the sister brand’s Mocha Opel – it currently starts at 26,550 euros.
By using the modular system, Alfa Romeo secured a purely electric drive for the first time. The large company is also installing the 115 kW/156 hp electric motor and the 54 kWh battery in the Milano. The Italians attribute a standard range of 410 kilometers to this and mention a charging capacity of 100 kW.
Alternatively, Alfa has announced a petrol engine with mild hybrid technology: The 1.2 liter three-cylinder has 100 kW/136 hp and is supported by a 21 kW/28 hp electric motor in a gearbox, which is at least a few hundred meters away City traffic also takes over the propulsion alone. The Italians soon want to add a variant with 176 kW/240 hp for the electric version and thus live up to their reputation as hotheads.