The Italian government opposes Alfa Romeo using the name Milano for its new SUV

Following the presentation of the Milano last week, Alfa Romeo now faces an unexpected problem: the opposition of the Italian government to this new electric SUV using the name of one of the country’s most important cities. The Italian authorities do not look favourably on Alfa Romeo having chosen the name Milano for its new compact SUV, since, they argue, that name should be reserved for a 100 percent Italian vehicle, and this is not the case since it will be produced in Poland.

Stellantis, current owner of the Alfa Romeo brand, does not currently have a very positive relationship with the Italian government, which it accuses of not doing everything possible to promote the transition to electric mobility. And it has a point, since Italy, together with Spain, is at the back of the European Union in sales rates for this type of vehicle. What seems clear is that this new incident is certainly not going to help improve matters.

According to the Italian media, the Minister of Industry, Adolfo Urso, recently lamented Stellantis’s decision to produce the Milano at the Polish Tychy plant, making this new compact SUV not only the first electric model from Alfa Romeo, but also the first to be produced entirely outside Italy.

It is Alfa Romeo, yes, but it is not Italian

In statements to the media, the Italian minister recalled that if this new Alfa Romeo model is not going to be produced in Italy, it cannot then legally use the name of an Italian city, since it is not genuinely an Italian vehicle. He explained that Italian law stipulates that products not made in the country may not use Italian names that could confuse consumers into believing the product is Italian when it is not.

The truth is that this law has so far been applied mainly to food products, such as Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, but on this occasion the Italian Minister of Industry believes it could also apply to Alfa Romeo’s new compact SUV.

Stellantis, for its part, maintains that the decision to produce the Milano in Poland is the right one for the company, since otherwise its selling price would increase by around 10,000 euros per unit, drastically reducing the competitiveness of this model in a market as tough as the current one. We will see how this matter ends.