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ReprintsMi.To must ‘spark’ Alfa Romeo’s revival
Luca Ciferri
Automotive News Europe
March 17, 2008 06:01 CET
TURIN -- Alfa Romeo hopes its new Mi.To will trigger a recovery for the struggling brand. The Italian sports car maker aims to sell between 70,000 and 75,000 Mi.Tos a year. If Alfa reaches the target it "will be the first spark in Alfa's recovery," says Alfa Romeo Automobiles CEO Luca De Meo. Fiat group CEO Sergio Marchionne wants De Meo, who took charge of Alfa in December 2007, to double Alfa's sales to 300,000 by 2010 and make the brand profitable. Analysts estimate that Alfa had an operating loss of €220 million last year. The Mi.To will go on sale in July with prices starting at €16,000 in Italy. Alfa sees the Mi.To as a rival to the BMW Mini. Its aggressive design, especially in the front and the rear, is influenced by Alfa's limited-edition 8C Competizione supercar. Based on the Fiat Grande Punto platform, the Mi.To will be sold only as a three-door hatchback. Alfa engineered the Mi.To to comply with US safety and emission standards, so the car could be sold in North America. Alfa returns to the US at the end of next year after a 14-year absence. The names Mi.To comes from the former license plate identification letters for the cities of Milan (MI) and Turin (TO). Mito also means myth in Italian. Alfa Romeo was founded in 1910 in Milan. The carmaker's styling center, which designed the Mi.To is still in the city. The Mi.To will be built in Fiat group's Mirafiori plant in Turin. |
You can reach Luca Ciferri at lciferri@craincom.de.
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The Alfa Romeo Mi.To’s bold look resembles the styling of the limited-edition 8C Competizione supercar. |
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