The renaming occurred due to claims that the original name might mislead consumers about where the car is manufactured.
Italian Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, argued that naming the car 'Milano' could falsely imply it is made in Milan. He explained, “A car called Milano cannot be produced in Poland” as law “stipulates that you cannot give indications that mislead consumers.”
In response, Alfa Romeo opted for 'Alfa Romeo Junior' as the new name. Although believing they met all legal requirements with 'Milano', they chose to rename to avoid ongoing controversy and promote harmony.
Alfa Romeo Junior
Jean-Philippe Imparato, CEO of Alfa Romeo commented, "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 favorites since the beginning." He added that despite not being obligated to change the name, it was important "to preserve the positive emotion" their cars evoke.
The executive went on to say the crossover is already a smashing success as the attention they’ve received is “quite exciting.” In particular, Imparato said they received an “unprecedented number of visits to the online configurator, causing the website to crash for a couple hours.”
Historical connections were also highlighted by this renaming event. The moniker 'Junior' ties back to a popular 1966 model named GT 1300 Junior, an affordable car aimed at younger buyers which sold over 92,000 units.
Source: Alfa Romeo
