Alfa Romeo has finally waded into the small electric car market with this – the Milano. Or at least that was the plan until an Italian government official stated the name was banned by law. To help ease the political tension, Alfa caved and changed the car’s name to ‘Junior.’
The Italian government official in question is Adolfo Urso, the country’s industry minister. His issue with the Junior’s original badge is that it was wearing the name of Italy’s second city, despite the fact that it’ll be built in Poland. He said: ‘A car called Milano cannot be produced in Poland. This is forbidden by Italian law.’
Italy has rather prescriptive laws that prohibit the sale of ‘Italian sounding’ products that were made outside of Italy. For example, for a sparkling wine to legitimately be called Prosecco it must have been produced in north east Italy, in the regions of Veneto or Friuli Venezia Giulia using the Prosecco grape. The reason is to avoid misleading consumers.
Alfa is confident it hasn’t misled its buyers, but it chose to change the Milano’s name to save face. However, it’s worth noting that the company has been very upfront about where the Junior (née Milano) will be built since the project was announced. The original name was also confirmed in December 2024 – and it took almost four months for Italy’s officials to find fault with it.
Alfa Romeo’s CEO, Jean-Philippe 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.
‘As a team, we are choosing once again to share our passion for the brand and make the product and our customers the priority. 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.’
The name ‘Junior’ is steeped in heritage, too. The last car to wear it was a two-door coupe, launched in 1966. It was specifically designed to attract a younger audience that was hungry for a sporty car with affordable running costs. Naturally, Alfa sold loads.
The new Junior will follow in old car’s footsteps and become the new volume-driven entry-level model in Alfa Romeo’s range. It’ll pick up where the Giulietta hatch left off and, like the Giulietta, it’ll distance itself from its competitors with its attractive styling and sharp driving experience.
Alfa plans to sell the Junior with a choice of two electric powertrains and two hybrid powertrains, making it a direct competitor for the likes of the Kia Niro EV, Mercedes EQA and Smart #1. However, the EVs are the only ones that are currently confirmed for the UK market. Scroll down to learn everything there is to know about the new SUV.
What’s powering the new Alfa Romeo Junior?
Peel back the Junioe’s bodywork and you’ll find the same E-CMP architecture that underpins other small Stellantis SUVs such as the Jeep Avenger and the Fiat 600e. That means Alfa’s new car inherits the group’s 54kWh battery pack and electric motors.
So, the entry-level Junior Elettrica shares the same front-mounted 156hp motor as the Avenger. Alfa hasn’t yet confirmed performance specifications, but we expect it’ll match the Jeep’s 9.6-second 0–62mph time and 93mph top speed.
Above that, there’s the Junior Veloce. It sports the same 240hp dual-motor system destined for the upcoming Abarth 600e – and the extra poke is sure to have a profound effect on the car’s performance stats. Again, though, Alfa has not disclosed what they are.
To support the extra grunt, Alfa made a host of mechanical changes to the Veloce’s platform. These include 25mm lowered suspension, stiffer anti-roll bars, larger brakes, wider tracks, a fancy Torsen differential and 20-inch alloy wheels.
Alfa also says the Veloce has the fastest steering rack in its segment and that its chassis was set up by the same team that was responsible for the Giulia GTA. So, with any luck, it should feel quite sporty.
What about range and charging?
Alfa claims the 156hp Junior has a maximum range of 255 miles on the WLTP combined cycle or 367 miles if you’re just pottering around town. Unsurprisingly, these official figures are broadly the same as the Avenger’s – and, like the Avenger, we expect the Junior’s range will be closer to 200 miles in the real world.
We haven’t had an official range figure for the Veloce, but it’ll almost certainly be lower due to the extra electric motor. Alfa has confirmed charge times, however. The Junior supports 100kW DC rapid charging, which can top up the battery from 10 to 80% capacity in 30 minutes.
Alfa hasn’t yet confirmed the Junior’s AC charging speeds, but we expect they’ll also match the Avenger’s. That means it should take around eight hours to fully recharge the battery from a 7.4kW home wallbox.
And what about the hybrid models?
Currently, the Junior ‘Ibrida’ (as Alfa rather comically calls it) models aren’t confirmed for the UK. However, both will use the same 136hp 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, 21kW electric motor and 48-volt battery pack. They’re both mild hybrids – and the difference between the two will be how many wheels are being driven.
The most basic version will be front-wheel drive only – but there’ll also be a four-wheel drive model that adopts the Jeep Avenger 4xe’s unusual dual-motor mild hybrid system. It adds an extra electric motor on the rear axle for a dash of extra traction.
Alfa says both hybrid systems can operate on electric power alone for more than 50% of the time around town. Plus, the technology can park the car on zero-emission power and disengage the petrol engine when cruising for better efficiency.
What’s the interior like?
Here’s where Alfa’s designers have really tried to distance their car from its Stellantis stablemates. You get the same pair of 10.25-inch screens, but they’re both angled to face the driver (just like Alfas of old) – and the digital gauge cluster is set into the same sort of deep binocular-style surround fitted to the Giulia saloon.
The air conditioning vents have also been shaped to look like four-leaf clovers, which is the emblem worn by Alfa’s fastest models. Buyers are given the option of specifying Sabelt sports seats, too, just like you could in the old MiTo supermini.
Alfa is quite proud of the Junior’s practicality, too. It has 400 litres of boot space, which is 45 more than the Jeep Avenger and a whopping 77 more than the Smart #1. Unlike its chassis siblings, the electric Junior also has space under its bonnet to store its charging cables.
What trims are available?
From launch, the Junior will only be available in one specification called Speciale. Prices haven’t yet been confirmed, but Alfa has told us that it’ll be rammed to the gunnels with equipment.
Standard kit will include 18-inch alloys, a 180-degree rear-view camera, a handsfree electric tailgate, keyless entry and an eight-colour ambient lighting system that outlines the air vents, centre console and gauge cluster surround. The front seats are also electrically adjustable – and the driver’s seat has a massage function.
Series production cars will be less well equipped as standard, although buyers will be able to bolster the spec of their cars with a choice of three option packs called Techno, Premium and Sport.
Predictably, Alfa’s Techno package is focused on improving the Junior’s level of safety equipment and technology. It adds LED Matrix headlights, a handsfree electric tailgate, lane-keeping assist and adaptive cruise control.
The Premium package will enhance the spec of the car’s cabin, adding vinyl and fabric seat upholstery, an interior ambient lighting system, aluminium pedals and an electrically adjustable driver’s seat with a massage function. Lastly, Alfa’s Sport pack brings Sabelt seats, Alcantara upholstery and some racy exterior design tweaks.
We’ll update you with prices for all the trims and packages as soon as they’re available.
Luke Wilkinson is Deputy Editor of Parkers. He has five years of experience in car journalism and spends his time writing news, reviews, features and advice pieces for both Parkers and its sister site CAR magazine.
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