Photo: Alfa Romeo | autoevolution
Alfa Romeo officially unveiled the Milano crossover this week and plans to build it outside Italy. However, the Italian government reminds the brand that doing so is illegal.
Illegal or not, the move to build the model outside the territory of Italy would allow Alfa Romeo to slash 10,000 euros, the equivalent of $10,672, from the price of the Milano, as per Stellantis’ CEO, Carlos Tavares.
The Italian house is planning to roll off the production line of the Tychy plant in Poland both the ICE-powered and EV variants. The ICE should start at under 30,000 euros ($32,015). Otherwise, it would start at around 40,000 euros ($42,686), which would place it in a whole different segment, reducing its chances to become a sales hit.
The brand-new crossover with polarizing design would be the first-ever model of the brand to see the light of day outside Italy while the Italian government is trying to grow local car production.
However, Italy's industry minister, Adolfo Urso, cited a law from 2003 that requires products featuring Italian names to be produced in the country. This means that building a car named "Milano" in any other state than Italy violates the national legislation.
"A car called Milano cannot be manufactured in Poland. This law stipulates that you cannot give indications that mislead the consumers. Otherwise, it gives a misleading indication which is not allowed under Italian law," Urso explained for Automotive News Europe. Long story short, the car can't sound Italian if it is not built in Italy.
However, Alfa Romeo seems to have a love-and-hate type of relationship with the Italian government. The automaker demanded local subsidies and policy support that would help it boost production, but the government failed to show support. Stellantis still committed to increasing the annual production in the country from 750,000 units produced to one million.
Meanwhile, Italy's government is negotiating with several carmakers, including Tesla, in an attempt to convince them to open production facilities there.
Built on Stellantis' e-CMP platform, the Italian car made in Poland will be offered in two variants: the Milano Ibrida (Italian for Hybrid) and Veloce Elettrica.
The mild hybrid version comes with a 1.2-liter three-cylinder petrol engine with a 48-volt system for a total of 134 horsepower.
Meanwhile, the EV is powered by a single motor driving the front wheels with either 154 or 237 horsepower. At least for the moment, there is no dual-motor variant. A battery pack with a capacity of 54 kWh for a drive of up to 410 kilometers (255 miles).
Order books have already opened for both the mild hybrid and electric variants. The brand-new Milano joins Alfa Romeo's lineup of high-ride vehicles, slotting under the Stelvio and the Tonal.
The Italian house is planning to roll off the production line of the Tychy plant in Poland both the ICE-powered and EV variants. The ICE should start at under 30,000 euros ($32,015). Otherwise, it would start at around 40,000 euros ($42,686), which would place it in a whole different segment, reducing its chances to become a sales hit.
The brand-new crossover with polarizing design would be the first-ever model of the brand to see the light of day outside Italy while the Italian government is trying to grow local car production.
However, Italy's industry minister, Adolfo Urso, cited a law from 2003 that requires products featuring Italian names to be produced in the country. This means that building a car named "Milano" in any other state than Italy violates the national legislation.
"A car called Milano cannot be manufactured in Poland. This law stipulates that you cannot give indications that mislead the consumers. Otherwise, it gives a misleading indication which is not allowed under Italian law," Urso explained for Automotive News Europe. Long story short, the car can't sound Italian if it is not built in Italy.
However, Alfa Romeo seems to have a love-and-hate type of relationship with the Italian government. The automaker demanded local subsidies and policy support that would help it boost production, but the government failed to show support. Stellantis still committed to increasing the annual production in the country from 750,000 units produced to one million.
Meanwhile, Italy's government is negotiating with several carmakers, including Tesla, in an attempt to convince them to open production facilities there.
Built on Stellantis' e-CMP platform, the Italian car made in Poland will be offered in two variants: the Milano Ibrida (Italian for Hybrid) and Veloce Elettrica.
The mild hybrid version comes with a 1.2-liter three-cylinder petrol engine with a 48-volt system for a total of 134 horsepower.
Meanwhile, the EV is powered by a single motor driving the front wheels with either 154 or 237 horsepower. At least for the moment, there is no dual-motor variant. A battery pack with a capacity of 54 kWh for a drive of up to 410 kilometers (255 miles).
Order books have already opened for both the mild hybrid and electric variants. The brand-new Milano joins Alfa Romeo's lineup of high-ride vehicles, slotting under the Stelvio and the Tonal.
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