Alfa Romeo's new compact crossover will arrive in Ireland later this year. It will be sold with hybrid and fully electric powertrains, yet possibly not as the 'Milano'....
"A car called Milano cannot be produced in Poland. This is forbidden by Italian law." So Italy's Minister of Economic Development, Adolfo Urso, reportedly told journalists this week.
Italy introduced legislation in 2003 which states it is illegal to promote a product made in a foreign country as coming from Italy, so expect a flurry of correspondence between Alfa and the Italian authorities.
The Milano has compact dimensions – a length of 4.17 metres, width of 1.78 metres and height of 1.5 metres. Alfa claims the electric model has a boot capacity of 400 litres, which is best in class.
The 'Elettrica' version is powered by a 156hp electric motor with a 54kWh battery. It has a quoted WLTP range of 410km - or 590km in urban cycle. There is also a more powerful 240hp version. According to Alfa Romeo, the Milano can charge from 10 to 80 per cent in half an hour using a 100kW charger.
Joining the electric 'Elettrica' version is the Milano 'Ibrida' hybrid model. The Ibrida adopts a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine with a 136hp, 48-volt hybrid VGT (Variable-Geometry Turbo ). The electrical component consists of a 48-volt lithium-ion battery and a 21-kW electric motor built into a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox. The Ibrida version will get an all-wheel drive variant at a later stage.
Inside, Alfa Romeo says the new Milano uses the finest materials with the placement of all controls within the driver’s reach. In the middle of the cluster, the standout feature is a fully digital 10.25 inch touchscreen interface.
There is another 10.25 inch touchscreen system developed to work with widgets, graphic components designed for intuitive interaction with all the features, which can be customised via a quick drag and drop.
To further embellish the interior, the air conditioning vents are in the shape of a quadrifoglio (four-leaf clover ). Finally, Sabelt sports seats featuring an enveloping backrest combine high mechanical resistance, perfect ergonomics and structural lightness - according to the brand.
Driver assistance features include 360-degree parking sensors, a 180-degree reversing camera and level 2 autonomous driving that manages lane keeping.
