Alfa Romeo Milano name announced for new city SUV

The new Alfa Romeo city SUV – available with hybrid or electric power – will be known as the Milano.

The Italian car maker says the name references the city of Milan, Italy where Alfa Romeo was founded in 1910, which it claims is an "international capital of design, symbol of innovation and sustainability."

It is the second time the Milano name has been applied to an Alfa Romeo sold in showrooms, after it was the North American name for the Alfa Romeo 75, a sedan sold in the 1980s and early 1990s.

The Alfa Romeo Giulietta small hatch of 2010 was initially planned to be called the Milano, but the name was changed three days before its unveiling – as the car maker was months away from shutting its last-remaining operations in Milan, and relocating 232 designers and engineers to parent company Fiat's headquarters in Turin.

The decision was so late a number of European media outlets had already received advance photos of the new hatchback branded as the Milano – which were quickly replaced with new images with Giulietta logos.

The Alfa Romeo Milano was previously speculated to be called the Brennero – or Brenner – based on an earlier teaser released by the Italian car maker.

The use of the Milano bucks a recent trend of using the names of mountain passes for Alfa Romeo SUVs – namely the Stelvio Pass and Tonale Pass in northern Italy.

Due to be unveiled in April 2024, the Milano is believed to share its underpinnings with the Jeep Avenger and Fiat 600 city SUVs on sale in Europe, and measure about 4.1 metres long – slightly smaller than a Mazda CX-3 or Toyota Yaris Cross.

It will be available with a choice of electric power or petrol, believed to be a hybrid or mild-hybrid of some form.

Images leaked earlier this year of its design, showing influences from a host of older Alfa Romeos – including the SZ of the 1990s, and cars from the 1960s with distinctive sloping 'kammtail' tailgate designs.

The 2025 Alfa Romeo Milano is due to be unveiled in April next year.