Really? As a fellow 3 Hatch owner, I only personally know one person who has one as well.

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You gotta wonder how many people will actually buy it, though -- the market it targets is price-sensitive. There haven't been too many mainstream Italian cars in the states, and they probably have a high cost of ownership (maintenance alone will be pricey, what with it being an Alfa and all).

I hate to say it, but I don't think it's styling can keep it afloat in the US.

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Hmmm... If they're targeting it as a competitor for the Mini, I'd venture to say it's probably not as price sensitive as you might think. Mini owners want a little bit of style, and many gladly pay over $25k for their piece of the niche pie, and I think this car has enough appeal to attract similar buyers.

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Yeah, that's a good point. I was thinking more along the lines of competing against the Mazda3, but you're right -- people will pay a premium for the Italian looks.

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Why do you americans always mix "hatch" and "Mazda 3"? The Mazda 3 is a whole eight inches longer. The Mi.To plays in the same league as a Volkswagen Polo or a Peugeot 207. It is just an upmarket version of the (very elegant) Fiat Grande Punto. If you want to compare an Alfa Romeo to the Mazda 3, take the Alfa 147 or the soon released Alfa 149. Thus the Mi.To is really targetted at those folks buying Minis or the spiced up versions of the Polo or 207.

Here in Europe there is a market for those kinds of hatches. I doubt, Americans would buy it. In your country still "Bigger is Better" rules.

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Whoa. A little hostile?

The Mazda3 is arguably the first hugely successful small hatch to cross US shores in quite some time, so the comparisons, while unfounded, are at least understandable. Trust me, I think the word "Mazda3" is thrown around far too often on car forums, but let's not get in a tizzy, shall we?

I think the success of vehicles like the Mi.To's main competitor, the Mini, and other small vehicles like Toyota's Scion brand or the Yaris hatchback prove that American buyers aren't totally counting out small vehicles. The Mi.To could work to help further that trend in the States.

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No, I'm not hostile. I understand that the only real "no crap hatches" on the US market are the Mazda 3 and the Volkswagen Golf. Five years ago there was the Ford Focus and soon there will be the Saturn/Opel Astra.

Those are all cars with about 102 to 104 inches wheelbase. The Mi.To and similar cars are in the sub 100 inches class. Of course there is a niche for cars like the Mini and the Mi.To and since the US are large, in absolute numbers even a small relative percentage could result in good sales.

On the other hand the typical US citizen who buys his or her first new car in the age of around 25 still is not convinced of small is beautiful. Here in Europe it's totally different as you can see by the numbers in the private car market were even in germany the Peugeot 207 was the best selling car in the last months -- the US equivalent would probably be the Ford F-150.

Another problem with the Mi.To is the dealerships. The gap between Maserati and an Alfa 8C might not be big and the can use the halo effect to introduce the 169 and 159 very soon in the US. But I doubt that an Mi.To or the Abarth 500 can be sold at Maserati dealerships without diluting the brand image.

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"On the other hand the typical US citizen who buys his or her first new car in the age of around 25 still is not convinced of small is beautiful. Here in Europe it's totally different as you can see by the numbers in the private car market were even in germany the Peugeot 207 was the best selling car in the last months -- the US equivalent would probably be the Ford F-150."

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Sigh. Please spare us, Mattias. You're talking about the US and about American attitudes as though it were 2000 or 2001. Things have changed (especially since 2005 and Hurricane Katrina), but in a nation of 300mm people, it can't and doesn't happen overnight. If you look at sales numbers, though, for any brand, the story's the same. Big pickups and SUVs are getting pummeled, while the smaller and more efficient cars and SUVs are going gangbusters.

Hell, the Honda CR-V is the best selling SUV in the country these days.

But to say that the average new car buyers (let's stick with around 25) isn't convinced small is beautiful is just incorrect. These are the drivers who can't afford that F-150 Supercrew (and the gas it swallows) or that Mercedes GL. Where are they going and what are they buying? Scions. Honda Fits. Mazda3s. Minis. Honda Civics, Nissan Altimas.

Smaller cars are taking off in this country. Not will or might. ARE. So they aren't outselling pickups yet...again...this is a massive country with a lot of buyers with different needs...and changing course takes time. But the pickup market being down what, 20% in the last year? Has to say something.

There are a lot of Americans who still have to be convinced small is beautiful, but I would venture you would find a far larger percentage of them among the older age sets than the younger.

/has a Mini
/will probably buy another when the time comes
/unless that Alfa shows up in time...

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Doogs, you are basically confirming what I said: A change in thinking started -- thanks to brands like Mini and Scion -- but I did not yet catch up in the mainstream market. Of course you are right in the fact that it is especially the urban under 35 crowd that is very interested is small, cool hatches. That's OK, but it won't be enough to introduce a "new" brand like Alfa Romeo in the US.

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Mini and Scion? LOL More like Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, and a handful of other smaller, cheaper, fuel efficient cars.

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Okay, Mattias, we get your point. But also, the driving conditions in the US are just not the same as in Europe. With large highways, bigger cities, and cheaper gasoline than in Europe, you can't expect car preferences to be the same across the pond.

But yes, this is changing, and I wouldn't count Alfa out.

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The European license plate will be just as unsightly a mar on the front, and will probably go on the driver side of the car where the 'Alfa Mi.To' sign is. I presume the American license plate will go in the same place.

Even so and even though Alfa doesn't have the best reliability record, I don't care, if they bring this over and I have a reason to have a second car at the time, I will absolutely get this car.

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Not all states require you to have a front facing license plate.

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