Alfa to politicians: forget car names and save industry

Alfa Romeo boss Jean-Philippe Imparato has urged European politicians to focus on protecting jobs in the automotive industry rather than model names, following a spat that prompted a late rebranding of the firm’s new compact crossover.

The Milano was renamed Junior just five days after it was revealed, following claims by Italian industry minister Adolfo Urso that the use of Milano violated an Italian law that geographical names can be used only for products that are produced in the region. The law is generally applied to products such as Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. The Junior will be produced at a Stellantis plant in Tychy, Poland.

Urso’s claims followed comments by Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares at the unveiling of the Milano, warning the Italian government against offering incentives to Chinese and other foreign companies to establish battery and car production facilities in Italy.

Speaking to Autocar, Imparato said the decision to change the name of the Milano was made despite legal advice that the name didn’t violate the law, and was to avoid being drawn into a political row.

“When they told me it was forbidden by law – it’s not – I said: ‘Calm down: I’m not here to play politics. I’m just here to make an Alfa Romeo that’s sustainable for the future.’”

Noting that the rebranding “created a buzz I could never have dreamed of”, Imparato pointed out that the Milano name was announced in December and it had been known for years that the car would be produced in Tychy alongside the Jeep Avenger and Fiat 600e, with which it shares the Stellantis e-CMP platform.

“If I wanted to answer the question of Giulietta and Mito owners that have wanted a B-segment car since 2021, I didn’t have any other solution than to follow the platform,” he added. “I couldn’t invent a local solution.”

Imparato also noted that Alfa Romeo was losing “hundreds of millions of euros” when Stellantis was formed in January 2021 but is now profitable and that the next-generation Stelvio SUV and Giulia saloon, due in 2025 and 2026 respectively, will be built in Italy.

He noted that Italy will be the only country in Europe that would produce cars on both the STLA Medium and STLA Large platforms, adding that “of the five cars in my strategy, four are made in Italy”.

Imparato suggested that European politicians should be