Alfa Romeo has received a backlash from the Italian government over the rights of the name used for its new Milano crossover.
The Milano was going to be Alfa’s first model to be offered as an EV, but now the Italian firm has had to have a rethink on a new name for its baby crossover.
Alfa Romeo has decided to change the name of the Milano to Junior.
The Junior name dates back to the 1960s with the Giulia and GT1300 – their purpose was to attract a younger audience to the Alfa Romeo brand.
The name Milano was chosen originally to pay tribute to Alfa’s history which began back in 1910 – and with the new Junior being their first EV, makes a groundbreaking change in the company.
Jean-Phillippe Imparato, CEO of Alfa Romeo said: “The choice of the name 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.
“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 new Junior will still be offered in petrol and electric powertrains and will be available to order in early summer of this year with prices yet to be confirmed and will be revealed closer to the car’s launch date.
