The future of the Alfa Romeo MiTo hangs in the balance, with Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne revealing at the Geneva motor show that a change of direction was possible for the car.
More will become clear when the brand’s new strategy is revealed at a presentation on 1 June, but it’s already evident that the car will not continue in its current form.
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“If there is a MiTo [in future] I don’t think it will be in the current shape,” said Marchionne. “The market has shrunk – two-door B segment hatchbacks is a very shrinking market.
“It’s got a limited practicality so we have to be careful.”
Alfa Romeo MiTo SUV?
With SUV sales exploding, one possibility is that the MiTo nameplate could be transferred to a small crossover.
Alfa Romeo is focused on delivering more SUVs instead of replacements for the Giulietta and MiTo, while the firm’s boss, Reid Bigland, even suggesting last year that those models could be dropped altogether.
This tallies with current trends in the market, although Alfa’s chief technical officer, Roberto Fedeli, has since hinted that a replacement for the Giulietta hatch remains on the cards.
Nonetheless, the success of the Giulia saloon and Stelvio SUV have carved out a new identity for the Italian brand, and models such as the Giulietta and MiTo don’t fit the new mould according to Bigland. “They’re still selling, but they’re very Euro-centric; we don’t sell them in the us and we won’t roll them into China,” Bigland said.