Italian Official Claims Polish-Made Alfa Romeo Milano EV Is 'Forbidden by Italian Law'
Alfa Romeo's first electric vehicle hasn't been welcomed as part of the family, and it's not because of its battery-powered technology, either. Instead, the disdain for the all-new model stems from its name, with an Italian official detesting the Polish production of a vehicle known as the Alfa Romeo Milano.
Named after Italy's moral capital and Alfa Romeo's origin city, Milan, the subcompact crossover shares its platform with the Jeep Avenger and Fiat 600e. Sharing platforms with fellow Stellantis models is cost-saving, no doubt, but it means the Milano will be manufactured in Tychy, Poland. With an ever-strong national heritage, Italy's industry minister, Adolfo Urso, believes this move by Stellantis is unacceptable.
"A car called Milano cannot be produced in Poland. This is forbidden by Italian law," Urso said in Turin on Thursday. "This law stipulates that you cannot give indications that mislead consumers. So a car called Milano must be produced in Italy. Otherwise, it gives a misleading indication which is not allowed under Italian law."
The law that Urso is referencing dates back to 2003, stating that it is illegal to market Italian-sounding products produced elsewhere as Italian in the name of consumer safety. Another example of the relevance of this law includes the restricted use of the Italian product name Parmigiano Reggiano in describing American-made parmesan cheese.
Regardless of the rhetorical stipulations, Stellantis' CEO Carlos Tavares told Automotive News Europe that producing the Milano EV in Poland will be a better deal for the company and consumers alike. Tavares went as far as saying that Polish production of the Milano will yield a 10,000 euro reduction in price, with the model set to start at under 30,000 euros. That's about $32,136 for the base model, hybrid version, according to Automotive News Europe.
Notably, the Milano will be the only Alfa Romeo produced outside of Italy, diverging from the Cassino Plant-produced Stelvio midsize SUV and Giulia midsize sedan.
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