Milano becomes a junior

Alfa Romeo is backing down and renaming its recently launched compact SUV "Milano" to "Junior". A minister of the right-wing Italian government had previously criticized the use of the city name as illegal because the model was not "Made in Italy" but was built in Tichy, Poland. "We have decided to change the name, although we are not obliged to do so," commented Alfa Romeo boss Jean-Philippe Imparato on the surprising name change. The company wanted to "avoid any controversy".

The model name Milano, chosen from a series of public suggestions, was originally chosen to honor the city where Alfa Romeo's history began in 1910. But now the name Junior is said to have been "one of our favorites and one of the public's favorites from the very beginning", according to Imparato.

The President of the Italian Alfa Romeo Dealers' Association, Stefano Odorici, also toes the line and welcomes the name change. "A controversy would detract from the enthusiasm and enormous attention that the new vehicle is receiving. Junior and Milano are both beautiful names that have their roots in the history of the Alfa Romeo brand."

Alfa Romeo first used the name Junior in 1966 for a variant of the Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT coupé, which was primarily intended to appeal to a younger audience. The Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Junior was soon followed by the Alfa Romeo Spider 1300 Junior. (aum)