They should totally do that. Really.
One of Alfa Romeo’s longest-standing models, the three-door MiTo hatch, may not be much longer for this world, if comments by FCA boss Sergio Marchionne are to be believed. Speaking to reporters at the fringes of the Geneva Motor Show, Marchionne hinted that the MiTo may face a ‘reinvention’ of sorts, to keep up with current demands.
The historically-outspoken Marchionne was uncharacteristically vague regarding the MiTo’s ‘new direction,’ though we suspect he may just be holding out details ahead of an FCA presentation on June 1st, where the brands’ senior management will lay out its plans for the company going forwards.
“If there’s a MiTo [in the future], I don’t think it will be in the current shape. The market has shrunk; two-door B-segment hatchbacks is a very shrinking market.” — Sergio Marchionne, CEO, Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles
Portals like AutoExpress are suggesting that perhaps the MiTo nameplate will morph from a three-door hatch to a five-door compact SUV, a move that makes total sense to our minds, given the popularity of SUVs (especially the premium, compact variety). The same fate could await the bigger, and very-pretty Giulietta too, if the comments by FCA North America boss Reid Bigland hold water.
“[Giulietta & MiTo] are still selling, but they’re very Euro-centric. We don’t sell them in the US, and we won’t roll them into China. The new Alfa is defined by the 4C, Stelvio, and Giulia, that’s what we’re focusing on. The Giulietta and MiTo are two very good cars, but they’re not at par with the Giulia and Stelvio, and the benchmark we have set at Alfa is much more consistent with the Giulia and Stelvio. For a new Alfa going forward, our lens is less on Europe, more on the entire world.” — Reid Bigland, Sales Chief (North America), Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles
Bigland also noted that the SUV market is one of the biggest areas of growth for the Alfa brand, while he also made a hint towards a larger SUV to sit above the Stelvio.
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