Too soon Junior! Alfa Romeo hastily re-names the Milano SUV
April 18, 2024 by Jamie Edkins
Car changing is a big deal
This is the new Alfa Romeo Milano, and it’s Alfa’s first stab at making a production electric car. Read on for all you need to know.
- New Alfa Romeo Milano re-named Junior
- The first all-electric Alfa Romeo SUV
- Sporty-looking SUV
- Up to 240hp from the EV
- Petrol hybrid model also available
- On sale in the summer
Less than a week after being revealed, Alfa Romeo has had to re-name the Milano. It’ll henceforth be known as the Alfa Romeo Junior, after the 1966 GT 1300 Junior.
Under the skin you’ll find a lot of parts from the Abarth 600e and Jeep Avenger ,and like those two cars, the Milano is available as either a pure EV or with a petrol engine. You can place your order this summer.
Alfa Romeo Milano re-named Junior
Alfa Romeo has had to re-name its Milano small SUV just one week after its unveiling for legal reasons, as there has been controversy over the use of the Milano badge due to the fact the car will be built in Poland, not Italy.
As a result, the Volvo EX30 alternative will now be called the Junior. Commenting on the new name, Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philipe Imparato said: “We are perfectly aware that this moment will remain engraved in the history of the brand. It’s a great responsibility but at the same time it’s an exciting moment.
“The choice of the name Junior is completely natural, as it is strongly linked to the history of the brand and has been among our favourites and among the public’s favourites since the beginning.
“We decided to change the name, even though we know that we are not required to do so, because we want to preserve the positive emotion that our products have always generated and avoid any type of controversy.”
So, why Junior? Well it hails from the 1300 Junior, an entry-level sports saloon revealed by the brand in 1966. Alfa Romeo also say that this was one of the public’s favourite name options when the car was under development, although clearly not popular enough to call the car Junior in the first place.
New Alfa Romeo Junior design
The new Alfa Romeo Junior may be built using the same collection of parts as the Jeep Avenger and Fiat 600, but you’d never guess by looks alone.
It’s sporting a totally unique design which is much more aggressive-looking than other small SUVs on the market. The deep air intakes in the bumper and Alfa’s trademark Trefoil grille help the Milano really stand out. The massive logo carved into that grille may not be to everyone’s taste though.
This car is also wearing some funky-looking 20-inch four-spoke alloy wheels. The black cladding around the wheel arches help give it a more muscular stance and the sloping roofline adds to the sporty vibe.
Moving to the rear, there are a few styling details which put us in mind of other cars. That small secondary lip spoiler under the rear window looks a bit like the one found on the Kia EV6, while the curved tail lights are akin to those on the old Maserati 3200 GT. Bet you never thought you’d see those two cars mentioned in the same sentence.
New Alfa Romeo Junior motors and batteries
The big news with the Alfa Romeo Junior is that it’ll be the brand’s first ever electric car, although a 1.2-litre petrol hybrid version will also be available.
There are two motor options to choose from, both powering the front wheels only. You can either have a 156hp unit, or there’s a 240hp motor for those looking for hot hatch levels of performance.
This is likely to be the same setup you’ll find in the mechanically-similar Abarth 600e. Alfa Romeo are remaining tight-lipped about what this means for acceleration, but we expect the Milano to be able to do 0-60mph in the 6.0-second range.
Both versions come with a 54kWh battery, a pack which will be familiar to owners of other Fiat, Vauxhall and Peugeot EVs. The 156hp version will have 255 miles of range, but Alfa Romeo hasn’t specified how far the more powerful version will go.
New Alfa Romeo Junior interior and infotainment
Step inside the Alfa Romeo Junior and everything looks suitably sporty. You do notice quite a lot of Peugeot/Citroen/Vauxhall switchgear around the place though.
Sitting proudly in the centre of the dashboard is a 10.25-inch infotainment screen, and the sat nav can programme your route to include necessary charging points along the way. For added sportiness, you can opt for Sabelt buckets seats which hug you through the corners – just what every small SUV owner wants, right?
When can I buy the new Alfa Romeo Junior?
The new Alfa Romeo Junior will be available to order this summer, but a price tag for this car is yet to be confirmed. The mechanically-similar Fiat 600e starts from £24,000 for the petrol version, so you can expect this more sporty Alfa Romeo to fetch a touch more than this. The all-electric version is likely to set you back around £35,000.
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