The Italian government declared the overseas production of the Alfa Romeo Milano in Poland illegal
Last week, Alfa Romeo revealed its new crossover called the Milano, available with mild hybrid and all-electric powertrains. This makes the Milano the brand’s first electric vehicle (EV), but it’s not the only first the model represents as it’s also the first and (currently) only Alfa Romeo. Most are produced outside of Italy.
Despite its Italian-sounding name, the Milano is actually produced in Poland at Stellantis’ Tychy factory alongside Jeep revenge and the Fiat 600 use the same Common Modular Platform (CMP). This reality has not gone down well with Italian officials criticizing the automaker for producing its first electric vehicle (EV) abroad, reports Reuters.
“A car named Milano cannot be produced in Poland. This is prohibited under Italian law. This law says you must not give misleading instructions to consumers. Therefore, a car named Milano must be made in Italy. On the other hand, it gives a misleading indication that Italian law does not allow,” said Italian Industry Minister Adolfo Urso.
The law Urdo mentioned was introduced in 2003 and made it illegal to present a foreign-made product as coming from Italy. This usually applies to food products, which is why, for example, parmesan cheese sold will only be called parmigiano cheese if it comes from Italy.
Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares previously defended the decision to produce the Milano in Poland, saying that manufacturing it outside of Italy would shave 10,000 euros (about RM50,000) off the retail price of the crossover. Prices start at under 30,000 euros (RM153,000).
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