Alfa Romeo Changes the Milano's Name to ... "Junior"

• Bye, Milano. Here comes the Junior.
• Both names have a long history with the brand.
• Alfa Romeo changed the name in just a week.

On April 10, Alfa Romeo unveiled the Milano as the brand's new fully electric compact crossover for the European market. However, the automaker had to come up with a different model name quickly after a member of the Italian government became upset at the use of the name of an Italian city for an EV with production in Poland. Alfa Romeo backtracked and decided to rename the vehicle as the Junior.

"An Italian government official declared that the use of the name 'Milano' — chosen by the Brand for its recently unveiled new compact sports car — is banned by law," Alfa Romeo wrote in a statement about the name change. "Despite Alfa Romeo believing that the name met all legal requirements and that there are issues much more important than the name of a new car, Alfa Romeo has decided to change it from 'Milano' to 'Alfa Romeo Junior' in the spirit of promoting mutual understanding."

Alfa Romeo has a close bond with the city of Milan, or "Milano" in Italian. The automaker originally started in Naples, Italy, in 1906 but moved to Milan in 1910. In fact, the brand's emblem even took cues from the city by incorporating its red-cross-over-white-background crest into the company's emblem.

Alfa Romeo used the Milano name for a model available in the United States during the latter half of the 1980s. In Europe, the same vehicle wore the 75 moniker.

The Junior name is no stranger to Alfa Romeo either. The company used it for performance vehicles with small-displacement engines dating back to the 1960s.

When it launches in Europe, the Junior will arrive with up to 240 horsepower and a battery capacity as large as 54 kilowatt-hours for the range-topping Veloce trim. The setup offers an estimated range of 250 miles.

So far, there's no confirmation of the Alfa Romeo Junior coming to the United States. However, the company eventually plans to bring an EV to the U.S.

Edmunds says

William Shakespeare said it best: "What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet." Changing the Milano's moniker doesn't alter anything about the vehicle.