Ultimately, it will be Alfa Romeo Junior. Alfa Romeo, a brand of the Stellantis group, renames its brand new electric SUV.
Five days after its global presentation, Alfa Romeo’s new compact SUV, initially called Milano, is changing its name. He is renamed Junior.
The move follows criticism from Italian Minister Urso, who questioned the legality of the choice of name for a vehicle produced outside Italy.
A question of legislation and Italian identity according to the Italian government
Minister Adolfo Urso stressed that the decision of Stellantis, the parent company of Alfa Romeo, to name a car Milano even though it is produced in Poland, violated Italian law. He referred to 2003 legislation that aims to protect consumers from products “ Italian-sounding » who falsely claim to be Italian.
“ A car called Milano cannot be produced in Poland. This is prohibited by law “, said Adolfo Urso. “ This law establishes that no information likely to mislead consumers can be given. A car called Milano must therefore be produced in Italy. Otherwise, it gives a misleading indication which is not authorized by Italian law. “.
The journalists of Numerama had pointed out that the Italian law relating to product names is generally rather invoked for foods.
This issue also raised concerns from the Union for the Defense of Consumers (Udicon), whose president, Martina Donini, said that Alfa Romeo’s decision raised important questions related to the concept of “consonance Italian”.
A name change to ease tensions
Faced with these criticisms, Alfa Romeo decided to change the name of its new car from Milano to Junior. Jean-Philippe Imparato, CEO of Alfa Romeo, said that this decision was taken to avoid any controversy and preserve positive emotions associated with the brand.
“ We are perfectly aware that this episode will remain engraved in the history of the Brand. It’s a big responsibility but at the same time it’s an exciting time. The choice of the new name Junior is completely natural, being strongly linked to the history of the brand and being among our favorites and among the public’s favorites since the beginning “, did he declare.
Stellantis President Carlos Tavares, meanwhile, stressed that producing the SUV in Poland rather than Italy would reduce the price by 10,000 euros. He also confirmed that new generations of the Stelvio SUV and Giulia sedan will continue to be built in Cassino, Italy.