L’Alfa Romeo Mito it was Biscione’s first and only B-segment car, at least until the arrival of the Juniorthe small SUV born as the Milano and available with both a mild hybrid engine and an electric powertrain. Many see connections between the two modelswith the Junior representing the direct heir of the Mito. To disagree is Juan Manuel DiazArgentine designer “father” of the small one produced from 2008 to 2018. “It’s poorly made” he declared some time ago to our colleagues at Motor1 Argentina referring to the Junior.
A strong defense for what was Díaz’s great creation: the first car to bear his signature, capable of selling almost 300,000 units in 10 years and with a design inspired by one of the most beautiful Alfas ever: the 8C Competizione. Now we know that like the Maserati-based sports car, the Mito could also have become a convertible.
Marchionne’s “no”.
In fact, Díaz revealed how at the time aAlfa Romeo Mito convertiblevery similar to the classic version, with retractable canvas roof and 4 seats. The Argentine designer told the story on his social profiles:
“Yes, there was a project for a Mito Cabrio, but (Sergio) Marchionne (at the time CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, ed.) did not see a market for this model. Marchione’s vision went elsewhere and was very broad And the blanket was short… There wasn’t enough money to complete the range. Alfa’s problem was always marketing: the Kamal SUV was ready for production in 2006, but the project was canceled thinking that the trend of SUVs was finished.”
An Alfa Romeo Mito Cabrio could have competed with rivals like the Mini Cabriocurrently in production, with the DS 3 Cabrio and also larger models like theAudi A3 Cabrio.
Returning to the Mito/Junior parallel, we report what Diaz declared a Motor1 Argentina during an interview given last April.
“The Alfa Romeo Junior is positioned as the successor to the Mito on a marketing level. But in reality it is a car from another segment: it is larger. When we were designing the original Mito we proposed a SUV of this sizeto offer a five-door alternative. Sergio Marchionne, then CEO of FCA, did not give the green light because he said he would not be successful at this. Well, he was wrong. But Marchionne was right in many other situations. But hey, the car is there, the Junior product is fine, Alfa Romeo needs it: it positions itself in a segment that Alfa Romeo must preside over and obviously, doing so on a platform already used by Peugeot, Opel, Jeep and Fiat decreases production costs significantly. But we must pay attention to two details: it is a segment in which the Chinese are entering very strongly in Europe and throughout the world, with vehicles equipped with better technology than the Europeans. Here I’m not just talking about Alfa Romeo or Stellantis products, I’m talking at a European level: the Chinese have better technology. The market decides whether a car is successful or not. The Mito was a smaller car, which could attract future Alfisti. It was a cheaper car, costing almost half as much as the Junior. Today, with the European economic crisis, I don’t know if the typical Junior customer is the same as in the days of Mito. Speaking of design, Alfa Romeo is a brand that doesn’t need decorations. It is a car that must be defined by the Trilobo, i.e. the central shield and the two side air intakes. On the Junior the Trilobe is almost blurry. There is an attempt at modernity, at rupture, which seems interesting, but is poorly executed. You have to see it on the street: the front has too many pieces and many fake air intakes. I think of those details as something that is not premium, that does not convey quality. When you start making holes and eventually cover them with plastic, not all of them turn out well. In general the front, in this case, seems a bit exaggerated to me. I don’t like the proportions either, there’s the same problem as the Tonale: a front that isn’t there and the side is not very expressive. Alfa Romeo was also characterized by always having a “shoulder” on the rear mudguard, here (on the Junior) the shoulder is very small. The back of the Junior seems completely anonymous to me. There are photos of a Vinfast car produced two years ago and belonging to the same segment as the Junior, and they are quite similar. But once again the market will be in charge.
Source: it.motor1.com
