- Back in 2009, Alfa Romeo scrapped the “Milano” moniker for another vehicle after a rift with locals working for the company in the city.
- 15 years later, the Italian automaker rebranded its first electric vehicle, originally called “Milano,” to the less exciting “Junior” just days after its official debut.
- This change follows a public spat with Italian officials who objected to using the name of a city (Milano) for a car not produced there (Poland).
On Monday, Stellantis threw us all for a loop, making us wonder if Italy secretly celebrates April Fool’s Day on the 15th. They dropped the bombshell that Alfa Romeo would be rebranding their first electric model, originally called Milano, to “Junior”, only five days after its official presentation.
This decision came following a very public, and widely publicized spat with government officials over the use of the name of an Italian city, Milano, for a car produced in Poland.
Now, that’s a doozy of a story, right? But wait, there’s more, because Alfa Romeo has a history of name-change fumbles worse than a toddler losing its socks. Believe it or not, this is actually the second time they’ve had to scrap the “Milano” moniker at the eleventh hour! What are the odds, right?
More: New Junior, Formerly Milano, Is Alfa Romeo’s First Ever EV
The first debacle went down just 15 years ago in 2009 when Alfa Romeo was gearing up to introduce the successor to the VW Golf-sized 147, which we now know as the Giulietta.
Back then, everyone knew the new compact model would carry the “Milano” nameplate, a nod to Alfa Romeo’s headquarters. We, along with other outlets, even reported on Alfa Romeo’s planned reveal of the Milano compact for Monday, November 30th, 2009. Press materials, including embargoed photos featuring the car sporting Milano badges, had already been distributed to magazines.
But alas, it wasn’t meant to be. As Autonews reported at the time, the company threw a last-minute wrench in the works with a Friday evening email at 6:21 PM. Citing “organizational matters,” the unveiling was postponed to an unspecified date.
More: Italy Says It’s Illegal For Alfa Romeo To Build The Milano In Poland Because Of Its Name
Why the sudden change of heart? It wasn’t due to some bureaucratic skirmish but rather a good old-fashioned standoff with the locals at Milano. Turns out, the workers in the area weren’t too thrilled that Fiat S.p.A., Alfa’s owner back in the day, decided to slap the Milano name on a car just as it announced that operations were winding down in their city, with the remaining designers and engineers to be relocated to a Turin plant, some 100 miles away.
To sidestep the drama and tensions, just as it did today with the Junior, Alfa Romeo’s parent company decided it was easier to swap out names rather than deal with the neighborhood pitchforks, even if it meant shelling out millions for the change.
