Alfa Romeo Welcomes Mi.To to Its Family

As Alfa Romeo grows, it's preparing to launch its smallest car, the Mi.To. The

subcompact-sized Alfa will allow the Italian performance brand to increase its sales by offering a modern-day equivalent to the Alfasud, a highly spirited and very popular hatchback in its time, considered to be one of the best-selling Alfa Romeos in the brand's near 100-year history.

The thing that will set the Mi.To apart from other subcompact rivals is styling. This is the first car that Alfa's designers completed after work on the 8C, and it shows. You can see a lot of Alfa's halo car in the Mi.To, from the prominent grille, to the shape of the rear pillars, right down to the simple circular LED taillights. With its mock diffuser, large wheels and extra-large fender flares, the Mi.To not only looks sporty, but high-class too.

Although the Mi.To will be the least expensive Alfa, it features some pretty

impressive technology for a vehicle of this size. Stability control will be standard on all models, plus it boasts active components in its automatic gearbox to modify steering and throttle response, depending on driving style, as well as to optimize control in slippery conditions.

The Mi.To's engine lineup is turbocharged across the board, offering two different gas-powered 1.4-liter engines and two turbodiesels. Output ranges from 90 to 150 horsepower, with more powerful versions on the horizon.

And if you're wondering about the Mi.To's unusual name, it's an amalgamation of the Italian city names “Milan” and “Turin” (in Italian, that's Torino). The car was engineered and designed in the first city, and will be built in the second. The name Junior, which the car became known to the automotive world during its development would've been cute, but the name wouldn't work in certain markets says Alfa. No doubt Alfa is hoping that Mi.To translates into "Me Too" when it comes time for buyers to take one home.