The Next MINI Killer?
Is Alfa Romeo building the next hot hatch? Taking cues from MINI and Fiat, it would seem they are.
>As well as having sporting pretensions Alfa Romeo is also making sure the Mito is highly customisable. Having watch Mini’s success, and learnt lessons from Fiat’s launch of the 500, the Mito will come with a large options list. Even the headlamp and taillight surrounds will be switchable so, Alfa says, you’ll be able to give your car ‘eye-liner’.
When this arrives in 2009, it will have a few powertrain choices as well.
>Engines will range from 90 to 155bhp, and all will be turbocharged four cylinders. Expect the range to start with a 1.3-litre diesel, while a 1.4-litre petrol will provide the headline figures. The same engine will also power the higher performance versions Alfa is promising.
Should be interesting to see one of these on the road. Follow the link below for the full story and high res pics.
[ Alfa Romeo Mito ] Carmagazine.co.uk
Seems to be more of a competitor to the C30s and A1s of the world.
Talk about overhang….
Looks like a Volvo
Personally I think this car has potential to compete with Mini in some ways. The fact is I think Mini should start bracing itself for more direct competition from new sources in the next few years. Do have to say that while the Mini still has an obvious lead in many ways its a rather static target for other niche manufacturers to aim at.
Actually I am all for good competition for Mini, in many ways can act as a crucible as Mini puts their design choices through a crucible. My worry is that instead of concentrating on their hard earned niche BMW/Mini is evolving the R60 to compete against established vendors while its base product is dangling like a low hanging fruit to other manufactures such as Alfa.
Alfa Romeo left the US market in the early 1990’s so they have quite a bit of catching up to do. I am all for more MINI competition as this will force MINI to further improve the product in the long run.
Alfa Romeo and Fiat are planning to produce the Fiat 500 and Mito in countries with low labor cost and cheap currency. Introducing these competitions will certainly force BMW to produce future MINI outside of Oxford in order to remain competitive and profitable.
I’m all for competition and free market for all. But sadly, there is also the possibility of racing to the bottom.
I agree that Mini will need to expect more competition in the future since they have a great hold on the market. In saying that, Mini needs to be more honest about the cars performace figures. The R56 MCS is much faster than Mini leads us to belive. The JCW is so under rated that it looks like a waste of money. BMW may end up shooting itself in the foot because it does not want the Mini brand to compete with the BMW line.
Just one mans opinion.
You know the funny thing about all the MINI killers over the past 6 years? They didn’t kill the MINI.
What Mini killers would those be? The premium small car market is new. The only other players have been the Audi A3 and to a lesser extent the Volkswagen GTI. The past is no indication of the future.
At today’s exchange rates, the starting price of 12,000£ (British Pound Sterling), equals $24,112.
That’s what it will START at, probably for the 90 HP model.
That price is clearly a level or two above the MINI’s! For that reason, it may not compete with the MINI as much as some might think!
@AN — Yes, you’re right. MINI did a fine job on its own killing the MINI.
I’m not sure how well the Alfa would do here in the States. Alfa has never been about unbridled power, and topping out at 155hp doesn’t really help matters for what is probably a heavy car.
Personally, I’d rather see them build a modern version of the Giulia 1600 GTA.
Fiat group is planning to bring back Alfa next year and take a lost during the first few years while they negotiate with one of the big three to produce Alfa locally using one of the idled factories. North America production will offset the dollar value issue.
I wonder if Frank Stephenson has a hand in the design.
Part of the thing that makes me chuckle still is “Mini Killer”, the Alfa is not a “killer”. However just like the Smart and a variety of other cars they are chipping away at the same buyer base Mini has had pretty much exclusively for years. I firmly Mini has its work cut out for it, part of the issue is I pretty much believe BMW/Mini’s business model has been changing, and in my personal view somewhat away from what attracted me to it originally.
Some of the “fun” of the new Mini has kept creeping more and more towards being refined. I pretty much believe Mini should sit down and figure out exactly what it wants to stand for in the automotive market and push hard to develop a class leading car that exemplifies those qualities.
I’m sure this will appeal far less to the white suburban housewives who’ve attached themselves to the MINI brand. And that’s a good thing.
I don’t care what suburban housewifes want (well…), I care what I want. And I’m thinking, I might want this more as my next car than the R56 (mind you, I don’t want to want it, I want to want a Mini… Does that make sense?)
I think Mini has lost some of its “masculinity” with the R56, and I think this Alfa Mito has just that to distinguish it from the Mini. I’ll hold my final judgment until I see it, though. Happy to learn the taillight surrounds can be swapped, the aluminium ones are probably the only thing I don’t like much about this car. Fingers crossed Mini puts out a facelift soon to put right the stuff they screwed up with the R56.
I think Mini is doing just fine with their direction. If they make the car more like it used to be they will be signing its death warrant. And all you asking for them to try harder to compete – you have to realize that would probably mean more and more towards a smoother ride and less sharp performance, eventually undoing everything you like about the car.
Mini has defined their own space and are undoubtedly king of it. The refinements in the R56 keep pace with the universal improvement in the ride of small cars while the Clubman answers to questions of the size of the coupe. They quelled general criticism and upped the performance of the car on all fronts in the process.
<blockquote>They quelled general criticism and upped the performance of the car on all fronts in the process.</blockquote>
…including price
Is that pronounced, “Me Too?”
These opinions are respectable but hundreds of people still flood my showroom on Saturdays just to get a test drive of a MINI. You all make it seem like they’ve lost their way but I believe the opposite. MINI is making themselves last the test of time. You can only do that by keeping peoples interests. Sparking peoples curiosity. Attracting the people who may not have considered a MINI in the past.
What I generally was trying to say is that competition will continue to come around. Mini has found a successfully niche market and many are seeing what a premium small car can do in the market.
Think that Mini has done a good job, although I still believe that they have shifted their business model somewhat trying to find new markets. I would say the biggest competition Mini has is itself. They carved out a niche market and built a product that resonated in the market. I am not saying its all doom and gloom just rather that I personally believe Mini will continue to have its base chipped away at, partially due to their own choices.
I’m glad we have Dan C. here to inject race into the discussion of an Italian compact car. What would the day be without a sneering racial insult directed at typical white people?
As far as the car, awesome front end, everything else looks pretty clumsy and unattractive. I guess “clumsy” and “unattractive” meet some folks definition of masculinity. So be it. I doubt if we’ll see this car in the states, anyway. Fortunately there’s plenty of other masculine offerings to choose from at the Ford and GM dealerships that dot the landscape.
I guess the R56 has managed to attract the Camcord customer set?
Alfa will not beat the MINI because Alfa has one weakness, they are not well made cars. They just look good but they break down.
You think an alfa will be competition for a MINI? You sir have never owned an Alfa!! For every one week you get to drive it, it has to spend three weeks in the shop….
Of all the “Mini killers” this is the first I thought was kinda cool. However, at 155 hp tops I don’t think It will blow anybody away. The Mini is like Jason(Friday 13th) can’t be killed. It’s uniqueness and heritage is eternal.
i for one can’t wait for alfa to return to the us. but i’ll be more partial to the 159 when it gets here, especially the sportwagon. this is nice, tho, but it might not be part of the us lineup. at least not initially
While the Alfa may be down on HP, but then again the Mini doesn’t live on the top of the stack either.
<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/27/noodle-vs-strudel-webridestv-pits-ms3-against-r32/" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/27/noodle-vs-strudel-webridestv-pits-ms3-against-r32/</a>
Think that we are going to see more than a few cars that take a bite out of the Mini market. Either of the 3 cars in the video would spank the new Factory JCW.
My apologies, andy; I should have said “pasty suburban housewives.” Hopefully that’s less racial and equally disdainful.
Even rock band will include a couple of mainstream pop songs to sell the album. For all those people wanting a harder ride and better performance, MINI has the answer in the Cooper S JCW. Perhaps it will cost too much but going down to the low market will simply ruin the MINI brand.
If one still wants more performance at a lower price range, I strongly recommend Civic SI and the Golf GTI.
R32 and the Mazdaspeed 3 can both out ugly a Mini, I’ll give you that. Oh but their heritage and community make for great intangibles.
If this is the “Next MINI killer”, who made the First MINI killer?
Mini by announcing the R60;)
Hopefully this will place more pressure on MINI to release a turbo charged diesel engine in the near future.
>Hopefully this will place more pressure on MINI to release a turbo charged diesel engine in the near future.
It’s already available throughout the world with the exception of the North American Market.
<blockquote>If this is the “Next MINI killer”, who made the First MINI killer?</blockquote>
some would say BMW killed the Mini, no?
Be careful what you wish for – you may get a whole new market full of smaller fuel efficient cars from Europe to choose from.
MINI is a premium bracket hatch. Its a BMW in a MINI shape. With JCW it becomes a sports version.
Whereas Alfa Romeo has always been the fashionista Italian with flair. Forget about the resale and rust problems of the past.
Why do people buy Coke over Pepsi?
I think part of the issue is that Mini has been working harder expanding the brand from its niche trying to jump at new business. I firmly believe that there are a great many other manufactures out there that would be very happy to have even a portion of Mini’s market. I do believe that the Mini brand is a static target for all these manufacturers, and month by month Mini will have more competition. A certain portion of this will be better than the Mini is some ways.
Rather sad news for Alfa imo.
<a href="http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080401/FREE/147894803/1023/rss01&rssfeed=rss01" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080401/FREE/147894803/1023/rss01&rssfeed=rss01</a>
Should be fun to see where he goes next to make his next statement.