Milano, Alfa Romeo's unluckiest name

The relationship between Alfa Romeo and the city of Milan is strong and has always lasted. When it comes to the name, however, the story is troubled.

Alfa Romeo Milano - Junior

By: Massimo Grassi

Published by: Brian Potter

Apr 17, 2024 at 5:54am ET

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Alfa Romeo and the city of Milan are closely linked. The history of the company began in 1910 in the capital of Lombardy, which is also honoured by the logo with the red cross on a white background, already used at the end of the thirteenth century by the Grand Duchy of Milan, and by the Biscione used by the Viscontis, lords of Milan from 1277 to 1447 .

Consequently, calling Milano a historic model for Alfa Romeo - the company's first small SUV and, above all, its first electric car - was a way of returning to its origins. From the past into the future. But once again, the name of the town that gave birth to Alfa has been put on the back burner.

The Giulietta affair

In fact, two days ago marked the second time that Alfa has changed the name of Milano. The first was in 2009, a few months before the launch of the new Alfa Romeo Giulietta. In fact, the compact Biscione should originally have been called something else, but it was the 'heated' period for the company, with the definitive closure of the historic Arese plant in 2005.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta (2019)

To call Milano a model produced not in the shadow of the Madonnina but in Cassino would perhaps have been an affront to history and the situation at the time (we're talking about the early years of the economic crisis). No external 'impositions', just internal reflections. So, after months of announcements, here's the change: from Alfa Romeo Milano to Alfa Romeo Giulietta. The name was chosen to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the company's birth, a tribute to one of its most loved and appreciated models.

The Giulietta was a commercial success, selling almost 500,000 units and available with a range of engines, including the 240 PS 1,750 TBi 16V 240 TCT, the most powerful ever produced.

The American

Milano was also the name of the Alfa Romeo 75 destined for the North American market. The last rear-wheel drive Alfa - which later returned with the 4C and the Giulia - arrived in the USA in 1987, where it remained until 1989. An unfortunate mission, as was the case for the rest of the Biscione range, which was sold in North America until 1995 without recording satisfactory sales, for a model that had enjoyed some success in Europe.

Alfa Romeo 75 - Milan

From Milano to Junior

The third case is the one everyone is talking about at the moment. Less than 24 hours after the presentation of the new Alfa Romeo Milano, here's the criticism from Minister Adolfo Urso, head of the Ministry of Trade and Made in Italy:

"A car called Milano cannot be produced in Poland. This is prohibited by the Italian law that defined the Italian sound in 2003, a law that stipulates that no information must be given that misleads the consumer. These would be misleading indications explicitly linked to geographical indications. Consequently, a car called Milano must be produced in Italy, otherwise a false indication is given, which is not permitted under Italian law".

Alfa Romeo Milano - Junior

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What initially appeared to be something of a joke has been taken very seriously by Alfa Romeo who, over what we imagine to be a hot weekend, have decided to change the vehicle's name to Junior.

"While we believe that the name Milano is within the law and given the fact that there are very topical issues that are far more relevant than the name of a car, as the Alfa Romeo team we are changing the name from Milano to Junior."

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