Less than a week after Alfa Romeo launched its first-ever EV, it's had to change the new vehicle's name - because the Italian Government told it to.
The "Milano" compact-SUV will now be called "Junior", following a clash with the Government, which pointed out that 2003 legislation forbids Italian-sounding names being used for products not actually produced in Italy.
While the Stellantis-owned brand has its headquarters in Milan, the Junior is actually the first Alfa to be produced entirely outside Italy, at the Tychy factory in Poland owned by its parent company. The car is closely related to the Jeep Avenger, also a Stellantis product.
Alfa Romeo and the Government have been at odds for some time: Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's ruling party wants to boost domestic car production to one million units and making a new model outside Italy contributes nothing to that; Stellantis chief executive Carlos Tavares has previously told Automotive News Europe that making Milano (as it was then) in Poland shaves 10,000 euros off the price.
Following the name-change, Alfa released a statement thanking the Government for "free publicity" and emphasising the company had been confident the name met legal requirements.
Says Alfa boss Jean-Phillipe Imparto: “We decided to change the name, even though we know that we are not required to do so, because we want to preserve the positive emotion that our products have always generated and avoid any type of controversy.
“The choice of the name Alfa Romeo Junior is completely natural, as it is strongly linked to the history of the brand and has been among our favourites and among the public's favourites since the beginning.“