Alfa Romeo Mito 2014 News

There are exciting new releases planned across the board; from budget hatches to practical SUVs, to exotic supercars. We’ve broken them down into segments and likely price categories to help you. We've based our price estimations on the current market, but some estimations could change in the future, and some model ranges span across price categories, so be sure to check our other stories...New cars for 2014 | less than $20,000New cars for 2014 | $40,000-$59,000New cars for 2014 | $59,000-$100,000New cars for 2014 | over $100,000 LIGHT CARSAlfa-Romeo MiTo: The Mini Cooper-rivalling MiTo hatch is due for a refresh in January. Tweaked styling is expected, along with updated features and sharpened pricing in line with other recent Fiat Chrysler Australia pricetag shuffles. (Approximately 25,000-30,000)Honda City and Jazz: Honda’s slow-selling City compact sedan is due to be replaced by an all-new model in the second quarter of 2014, leading the also-new third-generation Jazz compact hatch which is expected in around June. The new Jazz will benefit from a new dual-clutch auto transmission, and a new hybrid variant is expected to dip well below the current petrol-electric model’s 4.5L/100km combined figure. (Approximately $16,000-23,000)Kia Rio: Also due for a refresh in the third quarter is the Kia Rio light hatch and sedan range, with the stylish model likely to score visual tweaks and value gains to keep up with more recent competition. (Approximately $15,000-22,000)Mini Cooper: Mini will bring the all-new third-generation ‘new Mini’ Cooper to our shores from May, with the entry models using a new 1.5-litre three cylinder turbo petrol or diesel engine, and the hot Cooper S to step up to a new 2.0-litre turbo petrol from the same family The three-door hatch will be the only bodystyle to lob in 2014, with convertible and a new five-door hatch (at least) to follow later. (Approximately $31,000-$46,000)Volkswagen Polo: Volkswagen’s Polo light hatch range is also due for a mid-cycle refresh in the second half of the year, with revised styling, plus efficiency and technology trickle-down from the Mk7 Golf likely. Approximately $17,000-29,000)SMALL CARSAlfa Romeo Giulietta: Following on from its pricing shuffle in 2013, the small Giulietta hatch range also due for a mid-cycle refresh later in 2014. Approximately 24,000-40,000)Hyundai Elantra: Hyundai will revise its Elantra sedan in January, with freshened styling and a new local suspension tune expected to be the main changes. (Approximately $20,990-$30,190)Kia Pro_cee'd GT: Kia will bring the Pro_cee’d GT down under in March, with the new hot hatch set to go head to head with its mechanical sibling the Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo. (Approximately $30,000)Kia Soul: Also expected in March is a heavily revised version of the trendy Soul small hatch, with rejigged styling, upgraded underpinnings and petrol and diesel drivetrains. (Approximately $21,000-$30,000)Mazda3: Mazda will renew its assault on the Australian sales charts in January, with the arrival of the new third-generation 3 sedan and hatch models. The new 3 will be available with 2.0-litre and 2.5-litre versions of Mazda’s SkyActiv petrol engine from launch, with diesel versions set to follow later. (Approximately $20,000-35,000)Nissan Pulsar SSS sedan: In the third quarter, Nissan will break with Pulsar SSS tradition by adding a sedan version of the hot turbocharged model, with Mazda’s SP25 sedan its only logical rival. (Approximately $31,000)Peugeot 308: Peugeot’s headline act for 2014 will be the new 308 small hatch, with the lighter and more efficient model arriving before the end of the year to target Volkswagen’s Golf head-on. (Approximately $25,000-$40,000)Proton Suprima S: Proton will launch the Preve sedan-based Suprima S small hatch in January, in $21,790 (drive away) GX and $26,590 (drive away) GXR spec levels. Available with a CVT auto initially, both versions will use a 103kW/250Nm 1.6 litre petrol turbo. Cheaper $19,790 (GX) and $24,590 (GXR) six –speed manual versions will arrive later in the year. (Approximately $19,790-$24,590)Proton Preve: In the second quarter, ther Malaysian brand will add a five-speed manual version of the Preve GXR sedan, which is expected to undercut the existing CVT auto version by $2000 with a $20,990 drive away pricetag. A more upmarket Preve LE is expected at around the same time, and likely to be priced around the $25,000 mark.Renault Megane: Also due around June is a mid-cycle refresh for the Megane coupe, cabriolet, and wagon models. (Approximately $20,000-$50,000)Skoda Rapid Spaceback: Skoda will introduce the much anticipated Rapid Spaceback in the second quarter, with the new hatch to sit beneath the recently launched Octavia Liftback and wagon. (Approximately from $20,000)Toyota Corolla sedan: Toyota’s grasp on the Australian market is set to be strengthened by the arrival of a sedan version of the new Corolla in February. Both European and US versions of the new sedan have been unveiled, and the Australian model will most closely resemble the European model. (Approximately $20,000-$32,000)Volkswagen Golf wagon: Volkswagen will add a wagon bodystyle to its Mk7 Golf lineup early in 2014, mirroring the hatch with its range of petrol and diesel engines. (Approximately $27,000-37,000)FAMILY CARSFord Falcon: The once-mighty Falcon range is set to undergo its final facelift in the fourth quarter of 2014, ahead of it’s now certain doom in 2016. Minor styling revisions are expected, but the addition of Ford’s SYNC multimedia system and the return of the XR8 V8 model (as FPV is wound up) are likely to be the biggest changes. (Approximately 37,000-56,000)Kia Optima: Kia’s Optima will score a mid-cycle update in January, with revised styling inside and out, along with added features. (Approximately $30,990-$40,490)PEOPLE MOVERSCitroen C4 Grand Picasso: Citroen will replace the long-serving C4 Grand Picasso with an all-new version in the second quarter of 2014. The new model promises to continue as a stylish alternative to other seven-seat people movers with a choice of petrol or diesel drivetrains and will hopefully retain the current model’s sub-$40,000 pricing. (Approximately $37,000-$40,000)Honda Odyssey: An all-new Odyssey eight-seat people mover will follow in February, with fresh styling, improved features and safety and a more efficient drivetrain. (Approximately $35,000-$43,000)Kia Grand Carnival: Later in the year, Kia will replace the segment-champion but ageing Grand Carnival model. Improvements to safety, features, and efficiency are expected, and should be a winner if the smaller new Rondo is anything to go by. (Approximately $39,000-56,000)SUV/4WDFord EcoSport: The Blue Oval’s new EcoSport baby will complete its lineup in February, with the cheaper Trend and Ambiente spec levels joining the top-line Titanium that launched the model in December. (Approximately $20,790-27,790)Honda CR-V diesel: Honda will kick off 2014 by adding the first-ever diesel variant to the local CR-V SUV lineup in January. The 2.2 litre unit produces 110kW/350Nm, and will be available in six-speed manual or five-speed auto with all-wheel drive only. Official fuel consumption is as low as 5.8L/100km. (Approximately $35,000-$45,000)Jeep Cherokee: Jeep’s new more-civilised Cherokee SUV will arrive in the first half of 2014, with a choice of 2.4-litre petrol, 3.2-litre petrol V6, or 2.0-litre turbodiesel engines. (Approximately $28,000-$37,000)Kia Sportage: During the second quarter, Kia will grace its Sportage medium SUV with a more significant update than the minor revisions made in mid-2013 with the shift to European production. Like Optima, expect fresh interior and exterior styling and new features. (Approximately $25,000-$40,000)Kia Sorento: The final Kia model for 2014 is likely to be a significantly revamped Sorento seven-seat SUV, with a comprehensive design update inside and out to bring it in line with the fresher styling of its Hyundai Santa Fe mechanical twin. (Approximately $38,000-$51,000)Nissan X-Trail: Nissan will replace its hugely successful X-Trail medium SUV in about July, with the bigger design offering seating for seven for the first time, and improved refinement to go with its softened exterior design. (Approximately $30,000-$47,000)Nissan Qashqai: Nissan’s other significant SUV arrival for 2014 will be the Dualis-replacing Qashqai compact SUV, which will arrive in five-seat only guise in the third quarter. (Approximately $26,000-$36,000)Renault Captur: The Renault Captur will arrive mid-year, representing the French brand in the rapidly expanding compact SUV segement. The Clio-based crossover should start in the low $20,000s, and challenge the Trax, Juke, 2008, and EcoSport. (Approximately from $20,000)Skoda Yeti: Skoda’s best-selling Yeti compact SUV is also in line for a mid-cycle refresh in around June, with revised styling and features to bring it in line with the brand’s newer models. (Approximately $26,000-$38,000)Suzuki S-Cross: Suzuki’s SX4-replacing S-Cross will arrive in January, with reduced fuel consumption an increased interior space over the model it supercedes. Like the SX4, the S-Cross will continue with 2WD and AWD options, and will be priced between $22,990 and $34,990.COMMERCIAL VEHICLESFord Transit: Ford’s commercial lineup will receive a boost in January with the arrival of an all-new Transit van model, with the light-duty Transit Custom touching down ahead of the heavy-duty Transit Cargo range in April. (Approximately $36,000-$52,000)Renault Kangoo Maxi crew van: A passenger-carrying Kangoo Maxi crew van is also expected in the second quarter. (Approximately $27,000)

Alfa Romeo’s tiny MiTo hatchback currently comes exclusively as a three-door -- and competes with other premium light models such as the Audi A1 and MINI Cooper hatch. Although the Alfa Romeo brand returns to US shores later this year, the MiTo won’t be making the trip as the car’s design is already several years old and predicted demand in the has been deemed too low. The good news is that a successor is planned and that it may add extra models. The information comes from Car and Driver, which reports that the next-generation MiTo will enter production around 2016 and will likely spawn more body styles including a possible crossover variant. The key is utilising the platform underpinning the Fiat 500L, which can accommodate all-wheel drive and crossover designs. In fact, this platform will soon spawn subcompact crossovers for Fiat and even Jeep.    Engines would also be shared with Fiat products, with the entry-level option being a turbocharged two-cylinder engine rated at roughly 74kW, and the range-topper getting a turbocharged four-cylinder unit with around 150kW on tap (the current MiTo develops between 62 and 125kW). There’s even talk of a plug-in hybrid model. www.motorauthority.com

Alfa sold 73 cars in Australia last month and 587 in the year up to July 31, almost 100 down on the same time in 2009. The brand is struggling with an uneven and ageing lineup — ancient in the case of the 147 hatch which is as old as the century. The GT coupe (based the 147 and the dead for five years 156) is in runout. The 159 had one of its worst ever months with just 14 sales in July, while the Spider and Brera move as few as one or two units each a month. While the MiTo, long held back by its non-choice of manual transmission, gets the Fiat group's TCT twin clutch auto by year's end, Alfa's crucial — as in simply must not fail — Giulietta reaches local showrooms in December.  Australia is taking two models for now; the 1.4 MultiAir and the Cloverleaf with a 1750cc direct injection turbo petrol engine that Alfa Australia have so far been unable to secure at a realistic price in the 159. There will be a choice of six speed manual or TCT transmissions. The Q2 electronic differential is standard. Though ostensibly a 147 replacement, the Giulietta is appreciably bigger. And though considered a rival to Volkswagen's Golf in Europe — where the MultiAir model, in particular, has been well-received — spokesman for importer Ateco, Edward Rowe, says it will be marketed as a prestige hatch against Audi's A3 and BMW's 1 Series. These start in the mid- to high $30K range up to more than $50,000. Reports indicate that the Giulia, the 159's replacement, will debut at next year's Frankfurt Motor Show and would be likely to reach Australia in the second half of 2012.

A Fiat 500 with teeth and the Alfa Romeo Mito with new, greener engines.

It will carry the economy-sized burden of gathering a new generation of Alfisti. Developed off the Fiat Punto platform, the MiTo is a compact three-door coupe with a sports-orientated sexy fun factor ... just ask Alfa. However, what it definitely is not is a spiritual successor to the Alfa Sud of the 1970s. “The MiTo is a very strategically important vehicle for Alfa Romeo, but it is not the new Alfa Sud, despite all the talk about that,” says Alfa Romeo Australia's Edward Rowe. “Firstly, the Alfa Sud was a Golf-sized car that was launched to compete against the Golf and the Sud has a straight-through lineage to today's 147 — a Golf-sized car. “The other significant thing is the Alfa Sud was designed to compete with the Golf directly. “It was a five-door hatch, there was a wagon version — it was a family five-door, five-seat hatchback that just happened to look cute and go around corners well. “It was a thoroughly mainstream model built under instructions from the Italian government (which owned Alfa Romeo at that time) to be Italy's answer to the Golf. Obviously the 147 has strayed away from the Golf competitor role a little but essentially that is still where it sits.” The MiTo, Rowe says, will compete in the hottest sector of the European market; the super-mini sector that sits directly below the Golf, Audi A3, Astra or 1 Series BMW style cars. “That segment is rapidly becoming Europe's number one market sector,” Rowe says. “It is very important for Alfa Romeo to have a model in that sector, but that doesn't mean going after the mass-market buyers in the sector. “The part of the sector that is growing isn't the mass-market section, the Polos, C3s and so on, it is the premium end of that market where people are coming down from the sectors above and want something cute, sexy and performance-oriented with all the fruit and gear. A smaller version of the cars they have been driving in the past.” Alfa Romeo importers Ateco Automotive hope to have the MiTo on sale in Australia by the middle of next year with an entry price around $30,000 moving up to the $35,000 range for the higher-end models. “The details are still being worked out but I would imagine we would take the top petrol engine, a 115kW turbocharged 1.4-litre petrol unit, the 90kW 1.6-litre JTDM diesel and possibly a smaller petrol engine as an entry-level car,” Rowe says. “The gearbox choices will be a six-speed manual and a Selespeed and the specification levels will be high.” Rowe stresses the MiTo is not a family car and will target a youth-oriented audience. “It is targetting a much younger market than the traditional Alfa Romeo market. It is firmly aimed at the 20-30 age bracket. Even the naming is aimed at the younger buyers. It is almost `X-speak' ... a contraction of two longer words, Milan and Turin .” Alfa has already hinted at a rush of further technological additions for the MiTo after its initial launch. Fiat has shown a hot version of the little turbo petrol engine that has been re-fettled to produce a storming 150kWs. There are also suggestions that a convertible version of the car could be available within a year while the Multiair electronically controlled valve lift system and the Fiat's version of the double-clutch automatic, the DDCT, are reportedly already slated for the MiTo. As with many small cars now, the MiTo was engineered to obtain maximum Euro NCAP safety rating and has a full suite of electronic driving aids including non-switchable dynamic stability control, MSR to prevent wheels locking during over-run and dynamic steering torque (DST). The MiTo comes standard with seven airbags, three-point seatbelts with pretensioners and load limit limiters and active head restraints. In-cabin comfort and refinement includes premium MP3 sound and the multi-functionality of the Blue&Me device. That is a system developed in conjunction with Microsoft that offers hands-free operation with a Bluetooth interface and advanced voice recognition, USB port, MP3 player and SMS interpreter.   SNAPSHOT ALFA ROMEO MiTo Price: from $30,000 (estimate) Engine: 1.4L/4-cylinder turbo; 1.6L/4-cylinder turbo diesel Transmission: 6-speed manual, Selespeed auto Rivals: Mini, Fiat 500, Peugeot 207 GTi On sale: July 2009