Milano Name Deemed Illegal Because Alfa Makes The Crossover In Poland

The all-new Alfa Romeo Milano was revealed this week, and its name is causing controversy with the Italian government. Adolfo Urso, Minister of Economic Development of Italy, criticized Stellantis for giving the electrified crossover an Italian name because it is built in Poland, reports Reuters.

Italy introduced legislation in 2003 that says it is illegal to promote a product made in a foreign country as coming from Italy. This is not unusual; champagne and cognac are only recognized as such if they originate from those respective French regions, for example.

So What Is Alfa Romeo To Do?

The Stellantis-owned brand has undoubtedly spent millions on marketing for the new Milano, so changing its model name after the launch would be a PR nightmare and extremely expensive. Stellantis could shift production suddenly (Alfa already produces the Tonale, Giulia, and Stelvio in its home country), but that would increase costs, and reducing them is why production of an Alfa Romeo is not Italian for the first time.

At the reveal of the Milano, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares told Automotive News Europe that building the new Alfa in Poland has slashed €10,000 ($10,600) off the starting price. As a reminder, the entry-level mild-hybrid variant is priced at just under €30,000 ($31,900), which is a reasonable price for a compact yet premium electrified crossover. If it was built in Italy, it could have been as much as €40,000 ($42,500).

Despite Urso’s protestations, a company as large as Stellantis would surely have done its due diligence and ensured it could trademark the iconic name outside of Italy. For the record, the Milano name was last used for the sporty sedan pictured below, sold in North America as the Alfa Romeo 75.

Future EV Production Will Be Italian

The unusual law, which is commonly used with food products, protects Italian-made products by making it illegal to present things as Italian. An example of this is American-made parmesan cheese as opposed to parmigiano. We’d argue that the Milano name being stuck on a crossover is more offensive than it being built in Poland.

Alfa plans on building the upcoming electric Giulia and Stelvio in Italy, with the former due in 2026 and the latter next year. Perhaps the Giulia should have been named Milano. Then, the crossover could have been called Giu… actually, forget we said anything – let’s not give Stellantis any funny ideas.