Alfa Romeo's new mini is anything but a "Me Too" small car
Filed under: Diesel, Alfa Romeo

Click for high-res images of the Mi.To
If there is one thing most Italian cars have, it's style. The latest small car from Alfa Romeo is no exception. Thankfully, it appears that as more of us start to make the migration to smaller cars in the next few years, we can at least have a cool looking ride while doing it. The Alfa Romeo Mi.To is targeted to the same market as premium compacts like the MINI and the Audi A1 that's coming in a year or so. The name is actually a contraction of Milano and Torino, the design and manufacturing centers of Northern Italy. The design of the Mi.To is evocative of the magnificent 8C Competizione with a range of four cylinder turbocharged gas and diesel engines ranging from 90-155hp. Hopefully this hot little hatch will be part of the Alfa Romeo lineup that returns to the U.S. market in 2010. With small cars this gorgeous, who needs big old SUVs?
[Source: Alfa Romeo]
Alfa Mi.To: World Premiere
With the Mi.To, Alfa Romeo wishes to offer a new generation of Alfa aficionados the most compact sports car ever.
An up-to-date and innovative car, a name redolent of history. The name Mi.To has great evocative resonance for Alfa Romeo, since it was chosen as a sign of a deep-seated link between the past and future of the brand: between Milan, the city of design that brought the car's style into being, and Turin, which will be responsible for its industrial production. A decision that highlights the brand's strong desire to consolidate its Milanese roots.
The Mi.To is the first car to be built since the 8C Competizione, Alfa Romeo's icon of style and technology, from which it borrows certain characteristic traits: the particular shape of the unframed side windows, the three-lobed motif that distinguishes the front bumper, the shape of the headlights and the LED tail lights. The headlights and tail lights represent a distinctive personalised feature: a frame featuring different forms of material processing and colours to create an ultra-stylish eye-liner effect that underscores the car's style and aggression.
The highly personal dashboard and seats ensure that the interior represents the ultimate expression of Italian style, welcoming yet sporty, with top-quality materials and the closest attention to detail.
The greatest thought has also gone into defining the dimensions, which add up to a compact and dynamic shape: the Mi.To is 4.06 metres long, 1.44 metres high and 1.72 metres wide.
Style, design, and more: performance and technology must always be top-of-the-range in an Alfa Romeo. As all the brand's models, the Mi.To is able to appeal to the most demanding customers with its exciting driveability, determined partly to the Alfa DNA system. This control acts on the engine, brakes, steering, suspension and gearbox, allowing three different vehicle behaviour modes based on the driving style best suited to the situation or the customer's wishes: supersporting (Dynamic), town driving (Normal), maximum safety even in difficult grip conditions (All-Weather). Mi.To is the first car in its segment to offer such innovative technological content.
Great performances are guaranteed by a range of 4 engines, all Turbo (petrol and diesel), that currently range from 90 hp up to 155 hp, with the range due to be extended by even higher power ratings.
Performance and handling have been developed and optimised to offer maximum driving satisfaction in complete safety. The Mi.To offers true Alfa Romeo sporting ride, featuring contractive suspensions – standard on all specifications and engines – that considerably reduce roll and maximum active, passive and preventive safety: VDC stability system as standard and a vehicle structure that is already designed to obtain the top EuroNCAP rating in the future.
The Alfa Mi.To will be introduced to the international press during June and will then be gradually introduced from July in all the major markets.
Turin, 14 March 2008











Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-14-2008 @ 1:57PM
rgseidl said...
It's a pretty car, the front looks very similar to the gorgeous 8C Competizione. Unfortunately, Alfa marketing hacks have made a complete pig's ear of naming this one.
"Mito" - pronounced me-toh - is Italian for "mythos", a reference to the brand's storied history. Alfa bigwigs picked it to replace the placeholder "junior" after an Internet naming contest in several European markets had returned "furiosa", which happens to mean "butch dyke" in Italian slang. Oops. For some reason, Alfa decided to spell the new name Mi.To, ostensibly abbreviations for Milan and Torino (Turin). Afaiac that's just an artsy fartsy conceit. A car this pretty deserves better.
Too bad, something like "4C Giulietta" would have linked the car both to the new 8C and to a much-loved Alfa model from the 60s.
Reply
3-14-2008 @ 2:13PM
armmat said...
Hopefully Alfa won't get carried away with the pricing. But I'm sure that ALOT of wannabe's will be lining up to buy this car. Oh God...it's going to be a pathetic bunch I can see it now...the same douches who currently ride in A3's A4's, 3 series Beemers, GTI's...man...Azzaro cologne here I come!
Reply
3-14-2008 @ 3:36PM
Jon said...
I have to side with Mr. Abuelsamid in the last line. Is there really a need for SUVs when there is teh hotness like this? SUVs look ridiculous compared to this.
Reply
3-14-2008 @ 3:46PM
Matt Pipes said...
It is Gorgeous! I don't suppose they will bring any of the JTD direct injection turbo diesels over here, because that would be an awesome ride.
Reply
3-14-2008 @ 7:10PM
fnc said...
I've never been wild about that Alfa grill, but the rest of that car looks great.
Reply
3-15-2008 @ 12:08PM
Dan said...
i would take this over a mini anyday
Reply
3-15-2008 @ 3:23PM
armmat said...
@ JON..
Yes indeed...SUV's really do look stupid...ugliest POS on the road today.
Reply
3-15-2008 @ 7:29PM
Oldenburger said...
Here video
http://www.road2road.com/index.php?showid=315
Reply