Is the Mi.To for real?

Wow. Now that's a classy small car. 

I thought it was a joke at first. Mi.To? As in "me-too"? You have got to be kidding me! Oh dear. Name aside, at least the car looks good, and it's the right size (at last - haven't I asked for a REAL small ALFA for years!?!). But that name! It apparently stands for Milan.Torino, reflecting Alfa's heritage location as well as the more recent reality of production at FIAT's works in Turin. But dear oh dear, please change it before selling it. (Interestingly slashgear.com got a bit confused about all of this foreign geography and said: "The name, Mi.To comes from the two designers for Alfa Romeo, their names being Milan and Turin". Hmmm, does it really?)

 

Autoblog praised the styling: If you tried to morph an 8C with a Fiat 500, you wouldn't be far off, but the Centro Stile Alfa Romeo appears to have bridged the gap with considerable finesse.

Caradvice.com said this about the platform and engines: Using the same platform as the Fiat Grande Punto, it will be available with a variety of engines from an entry-level 1.4-litre unit to a 171kW turbo adaptation for the GTA.

Z-cars has the press release on its post, and said this on dimensions:Sporting a compact yet curvaceous and dynamic shape, the Mi.To measures in at 4.06 metres long, 1.44 metres high and 1.72 metres wide thus making it a direct competitor with the likes of BMW's MINI.

Fullboost said nice things as well (although they must stop printing gushing press releases as copy - or is it just a bad translation from Italian?): The Alfa Romeo Mi.To’s family heritage can be seen in the grille, headlights and LED taillights, along with the frameless side windows endowing it with a coupe appearance. It could genuinely be called a mini-Alfa Romeo 8C. Technologically, the Alfa Romeo Mi.To promises to be highly innovative with the debut of the Alfa Romeo DNA system, the next generation of electronic stability control and a first in this class. Controlling the engine, brakes, steering response, suspension and gearbox, the Mi.To can be set to offer a super-sporting dynamic range of responses, a normal setting for city use and a special high grip setting for snow, ice and mud conditions. This remarkable new technology will set a new safety standard when allied to VDC, ABS brakes and a design developed to achieve the highest EuroNCAP crash test rating.

There's more here at Fairfax: Alfa Romeo is taking the fight to BMW and its successful Mini, showing pictures of its Mi.To, a compact sporty hatch that the company is billing as a mini-Alfa 8C.

And yes, Alfa have a blog on the subject as well. And carscoop have more pics.