In the beginning of April, Alfa Romeo released some exciting news about their first all-electric vehicle, which they called the Milano. Though also available as a hybrid, this subcompact is Alfa’s first official foray into the world of fully electric vehicles. The Italian government, however, had something to say about the Milano’s supposedly misleading name. Because the Milano isn’t from Milan.
What’s In A Name? The Stellantis Group and the Alfa Legacy
Alfa Romeo likes to lean on its legacy as an Italian company with a storied and incredible motorsport history. And though Alfas are still in a league of their own, the Alfa Romeo name is now owned by a multinational corporation called Stellantis. Stellantis owns some of the biggest car brands out there, including Fiat, Jeep, Lancia, Vauxhall, Opel and a number of other historically Italian, French, English, and US brands.
What does this ownership have to do with the name? There is a law on the books in Italy that prevents products that aren’t actually Italian from having “Italian-sounding” names and being sold in Italy. As the car formerly known as the Milano was planning on being produced in Poland—which is decidedly not Italy—it was at the government’s insistence that the name was changed. The peculiar choice of a new name, however, was all Alfa.
The Alfa Romeo Junior: The Exact Opposite of “Milano”
The government takes away a name that is designed to evoke classical Italian styling and quality, and Alfa Romeo chose to replace it with something entirely different. Junior brings to mind something more along the lines of baseball caps and mid-century Americana. Though there is nothing wrong with that feeling, it certainly doen’t do Alfa any favors. As far as a name for a car from an Italian brand, it doesn’t evoke the air of sophistication that is part of the selling point of a beautiful and (occasionally) tempermental Italian car. Honestly, we wouldn’t be surprised if the Junior Milano gets a third name change.
A Closer Look at the Newly Renamed Alfa Romeo Junior
It seems as if the Junior moniker was chosen as a nod to the car’s somewhat diminutive size. As a “subcompact crossover” it is a smaller offering that Top Gear can’t help but compare to other similar Stellantis offerings such as the Jeep Avenger, Fiat 600 and Vauxhall Corsa. What the others don’t have, however, is the Alfa Romeo design team, in this case led by Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos. He took the challenge of making the first all-electric Alfa and ran with it, making a delightful crossover that screams Alfa Romeo both in and out, new “telephone dial” wheels and all.
The Junior will be available in three different engine options, two of which are fully electric, and one of which will be a hybrid with a 1.2 L 3-cylinder turbo. The BEV options are either 152 or 238 brake horsepower, which though not burly, will surely be adequate for a car of that size. The Junior is to share the 54kWh battery pack with the Jeep Avenger, which should be good for 250 miles, with an 80% charge possible in 30 minutes when using a rapid charger.
As it’s an Alfa, the design team stressed the importance of a proper experience for performance handling and has included “a mechanical self-locking Torsen differential, lowered sports suspension, four-piston monobloc brake calipers up front, and 20-inch wheels” to make sure you get the most out of every single hp.
The First of (Hopefully) Many Electric Alfa Romeo Options
According to Alfa, they are planning on an all-electric future for their cars by 2027. It’s hard to believe that in just 3 years that a car company with zero BEV currently on the market will be fully electric, but when you have a whole stable of electric parts to borrow from in the rest of the Stellantis group, it will likely be easier than starting completely from scratch. Unfortunately, there are no immediate plans for the Alfa Romeo Junior to be available in the US, but Alfa is supposed to be working on something a little bigger to suit US tastes. It will be exciting to see what they come up with.
