Alfa Romeo is changing the name of the upcoming Milano compact SUV, following a public dispute with the Italian government. Now, instead of being named after the iconic city in which the logo was born more than a hundred years ago, Alfa Romeo’s new SUV will be called the “Junior”.
Why would the Italian government object to one of its country’s most prominent brands naming a vehicle sold around the world after one of its most prominent cities?Because it may simply mean that the SUV is made in Italy, although it won’t. Instead, the Alfa Romeo Junior will be manufactured in Poland, at the Tychy plant. Calling it “Milan” would have been contrary to Italian law, Industry Minister Adolfo Urso told Reuters last week.
“You can’t give directions that mislead consumers,” Urso said. “Therefore, a car called the Milano has to be produced in Italy. Otherwise, it provides a misleading indication that is not permitted by Italian law,” Urso said. Wait until you understand what Pepperidge Farms is doing here in the U. S. UU. va to change the lid.
So why Junior, out of all the calls? Although it sounds rather ridiculous out of context, the call refers to Alfa Romeo. In the ’60s, Alfa needed to update the magnificent Giulia and Giulia Sprint GT designed by Giugiaro and was looking to appeal to a younger audience, so the GT Thus the 1300 Junior was born. And even with its possibly unconvincing name, it was a huge hit with Alfa’s young buyers, as the logo intended.
“The choice of the Alfa Romeo Junior name is quite natural, as it is strongly linked to the history of the logo and has been among our favourites and among the public’s favourites from the very beginning,” Jean-Philippe Imparato, CEO of Alfa Romeo, said in a statement. And to set the record straight, Imparato added that Alfa “has to replace their call, even though we know we don’t have to. “In the end, we will never know in what way a judgment would have been passed on fallen, but history will show that Italy told Alfa that it deserved to decide on a new call-up, and that is precisely what Alfa did.
Regardless, Imparato says the logo honors history here, though enthusiasts might argue otherwise. The new Junior is no longer a purist sports coupe, but it’s obviously designed to give Alfa Romeo a slice of the entry-level luxury crossover pie. For consumers who are buying their first Alfa, the so-called Junior is annoying and even counterproductive, as it could make them feel like they have the ever-shrinking edition of an ever-bigger car.
In fact, this story is among the funniest when it comes to industry news in 2024, but it’s pretty absurd. Although the Junior was not made in Italy, the world knows that Alfa Romeo comes from Italy. And a lot of the design and engineering of the Junior was done there, so in a way, it was done in Italy. Apart from the police, the writing is done and the call is changed. However, I will never be able to read his call without listening to Sean Connery’s. voice.
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