2011 Alfa Romeo MiTo
The 2011 Alfa Romeo MiTo will compete with the Mini Cooper in the Sporty/Performance Car class. The 2008 Alfa Romeo MiTo is shown here. See more pictues of small cars.

Consumer Guide’s Impressions of the 2011 Alfa Romeo MiTo

If all goes well, the headline-grabbing Fiat-Chrysler alliance will deliver a stylish premium small car to lead the U.S. return of a storied Italian brand. MiTo is Alfa Romeo’s answer to the BMW Mini Cooper--and will need to be as popular to give the new partnership a chance.

What We Know About the 2011 Alfa Romeo MiTo

Alfa Romeo is known for sports cars like Dustin Hoffman’s iconic ride in “The Graduate,” but it has long offered passenger models with the same Italian brio so beloved by enthusiasts. The latest is the MiTo, a small front-wheel-drive two-door hatchback unveiled in mid-2008 ahead of a European sales launch in early ‘09. The name (say “Mee-TOE”) refers to Milan, where the car was designed (and also home to Alfa-parent Fiat Group), and Torino (Turin), where the car is built.

So why should you care? Because this is a new rival for the popular BMW Mini Cooper--aimed at the “You Tube Generation,” Alfa says. And it’s likely headed for the U.S., perhaps arriving by mid-2010 as an early-2011 model. What’s more, you might well find the MiTo at a Chrysler, Dodge and/or Jeep dealer.

A little background is in order here. Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne believes only the strongest automakers will survive the global economic crisis. Because Fiat isn’t as strong as he’d like, despite an impressive turnaround he recently engineered, he wanted his firm to take a stake in Chrysler. Marchionne reckons that automakers can’t be viable now with less than 5.5 million sales a year. As it happens, Fiat and Chrysler between them had about that many in 2008, which would rank as the world’s fifth largest car company had the firms been “married.” Fiat is currently number-four in Europe by sales, Chrysler number-four in the U.S. (though falling fast).

Typical of Marchionne, he offered no cash from Fiat’s pocket, even though Chrysler needed money in the worst way. His aim was simply a “strategic alliance” as a path to solid profitability for both companies though shared technology, talent, production facilities and other resources. It’s the same idea behind the Franco-Japanese pairing of Renault and Nissan--and very different from the failed “merger of equals” called DaimlerChrysler.

Like Renault-Nissan, this alliance theoretically gives each partner access to the other’s manufacturing bases, distribution channels, and intellectual property. The Italian company will doubtless use Chrysler’s resources for a U.S. relaunch of the Fiat and Alfa Romeo brands, which have been absent here for decades (though Alfa’s return has been rumored for years). Chrysler, in turn, can piggyback on Fiat’s strong presence in Europe, China, and many other markets to grow overseas sales of vehicles like the Dodge Dakota pickup, Dodge Journey SUV, and various Jeeps. More important, Chrysler would get to use several next-generation Fiat platforms to develop replacements for existing flops like the Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Caliber and Jeep Compass.

Sounds promising, but much work remains now that the two firms have completed the alliance. Plans will almost certainly include Chrysler-built Fiats as well as Fiat-based Chryslers, but those vehicles are still 2-3 years off. However, it’s believed that some import-ready Euro-market Fiats could start U.S. sale sooner. The most likely standard-bearers include the MiTo for the storied Alfa nameplate.

For more inside information on hundreds of new cars of today and tomorrow, check out:

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