Major car brand changes name of new EV after pressure from Italian government
- 247 views
A MAJOR car brand has changed the name of its upcoming new EV after a row with the Italian government over its authenticity.
The company claimed it had made the change to "promote mutual understanding" and denied allegations from ministers that the original name broke the law.
(Alfa Romeo has changed the name of its upcoming electric SUV.Credit: Reuters)
(The model was originally slated to be called the Milano.Credit: Alfa Romeo)
(Italian Business and Trade Minister Adolfo Urso claimed the company had broken laws regulating Italian-made products.Credit: AFP)
Alfa Romeo, which is headquartered in Turin, Italy, was originally set to call the new model the Milano.
However, the announcement prompted a fierce backlash in the brand's home country, particularly from the nationalist government which claims it violated an obscure piece of legislation.
The issue comes down to the fact that the motor will be the first manufactured by Alfa outside of Italy, with production having been moved to a plant in Poland.
Under Italian law, it is forbidden to represent products made outside the country as coming from there.
This is most often applied to food items, like Parmigiano cheese (called parmesan when produced elsewhere), but can cover all types of products.
Adolfo Urso, Minister for Business and Trade in the Meloni government, hit out at the proposed Milano name, alleging it was "misleading".
He claimed: "A car called Milano cannot be produced in Poland. This is forbidden by Italian law.
"This law stipulates that you cannot give indications that mislead consumers.
"So a car called Milano must be produced in Italy.
Alfa has strongly denied the claims that they were not complying with the law, but has "decided" to change the name anyway.
The model will now be called the Junior instead as a callback to the beloved GT 1300 Junior first released in 1966.
The brand's CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato said, "We decided to change the name, even though we know that we are not required to do so, because we want to preserve the positive emotion that our products have always generated and avoid any type of controversy.
(He alleged that applying the Milano name to a car made in Poland was 'misleading'.Credit: Alfa Romeo)
(The model will now be called the Junior, a throwback to the GT 1600 Junior released in 1966.Credit: Alamy)
(Alfa denied breaking any rules and said it 'decided to' change the name to 'promote mutual understanding'.Credit: Alfa Romeo)
(CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato)
Ref: Major car brand changes name of new EV after pressure from Italian government (thesun)
Photo Credit: Reuters, Alfa Romeo, AFP,Alamy
