In a surprising turn of events, Alfa Romeo’s first EV launch – the Milano, will now be called the Alfa Romeo Junior. Alfa Romeo had to incorporate this change as the initial name ‘Milano’ got embroiled in legal complications. The Italian government found it misleading to allow a car to be named after an Italian city and subsequently not get built in Italy. Hence, in the spirit of promoting mutual understanding, Alfa Romeo decided to rename its first-ever EV as Junior which was also the name of Alfa’s 1966 toned-down iteration of the Giulia called the GT 1300 Junior to attract younger fans to the brand. Jean-Philippe Imparato, CEO of Alfa Romeo said, “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 attention to our new sports compact that we’ve received the past few days is quite exciting as we had an unprecedented number of visits to the online configurator, causing the website to crash for a couple hours.”

Two of the biggest Japanese automotive giants, Honda and Nissan, have made a joint announcement regarding signing a memorandum of understanding. It is for a feasibility study of a potential partnership in vehicle electrification and intelligence.

So, why only in those two fields? Well, the duo have some common goals. They envision a future of carbon neutrality and zero fatalities in traffic accidents. Honda and Nissan agree that to achieve those targets, it is vital to strengthen environmental and electrification technologies and develop robust software.

More specifically, the feasibility study will encompass automotive software solutions, core components of EVs and complementary products and solutions.

In September last year, the MG Cyberster embarked on an international journey from London. With its final destination set as Shanghai, China, the two-door EV will visit various potential markets on the way. The SAIC-backed brand also announced that the car would be in the Middle East between January 14 and February 19, 2024.

The MG Cyberster made its first public appearance in the UAE earlier this month. For six days, it was driven across the country. At the hands of the Turner twins, Ross and Hugo, the sports car explored Dubai’s landmarks, the cityscape, and Ras Al Khaimah. The MG Cyberster also visited the country’s capital – Abu Dhabi. The drivers got to check out the MG Cyberster display at Al Qana. Also, they went to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and explored the city’s bustling streets.

MG has devised two versions of the Cyberster – single motor with 64kWh battery and dual motor with 77kWh battery. The most potent derivative can hit 100kmph from nothing in 3.2 seconds.