Alfa Romeo Milano Fully Revealed in Factory Photos!

That sound you hear are the cracks forming on the walls of Alfa Romeo's assembly plant in Italy as believe it or not, someone managed to leave the factory with what appear to be mobile phone photos of the all-new Milano. The surprisingly revealing gallery, which comes only a day after an initial leak on Friday, made its way on a Facebook group page exposing the Italian compact hatchback from several angles and even gives us our first view of the dashboard and center console.

To a lesser extent than the smaller MiTo, the five-door Milano has an all-new body design with styling cues that refer directly to the Alfa 8C Competizione. These include the oval-shaped headlamps and arrow-like bonnet lines that end with the deep Alfa shield grille, but not the round tail lamps as the Italian designers opted for a totally different design at the back.

Like the 147 hatchback that it will replace, the Milano's rear door handles are hidden in the door pillars for a smoother look that gives the illusion from a distance that this is a sportier three-door hatch.

The interior shots reveal that the Milano will feature a sporty instrument panel with two deeply set gauges at either side, a design trait seen in most modern Alfas including the MiTo and the 159.

Styling aside, the Milano uses the latest version of the Fiat Group's C- and D-segment platform which is known internally as the C-Evo. It is not clear yet if the Milano will hit the European market before the end of the year or in the beginning of 2010, but when it does, Alfa's BMW 1-Series rival is expected to be initially offered with 1.4-liter and 1.75-liter turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engines producing up to 200HP+, as well as with the usual turbo diesel line up.

Photos via: Facebook

Alfa Romeo Milano Exposed on the Assembly Line!

So much for Alfa Romeo's attempts keep the prototype models of the forthcoming Milano hatchback under cover. Our fellow Italian bloggers at Autoblog.it have published a photograph of the 147's replacement that was apparently shot at the assembly line, exposing the Milano's snout for the first time. As anticipated, the Milano's front-end styling takes cues from both the MiTo and the 8C Competizione, with the photo revealing that some versions will get a set of daytime running lights comprising a strip of LEDs on each side of the headlamps.

Similar in size to the Volkswagen Golf, the Alfa Romeo Milano is the Fiat Group's proposal in the premium compact hatchback segment aimed squarely at the BMW 1-Series and Audi A3.

Underneath the sheetmetal lies the latest version of the Fiat Group's C- and D-segment platform which is known as the C-Evo. Powertrain options for the Milano are expected to include 1.4-liter and 1.75-liter turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engines producing up to 200HP+ and of course, numerous four-pot diesel engines.

For more info on the Milano, click here to read our previous post that includes spy shots from the 'Ring.

Via: Autoblog.it

Dodge May Sell Rebadged Alfas in the US while Europe Could get Dodge Models as Alfas

In an interview in New York on Wednesday, Fiat S.p.A. and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne revealed that one of the first priorities of the partnership is to decide how to handle the Dodge and Alfa Romeo brands, which he sees as American and European counterparts. It sounds crazy but one of the scenarios being examined by Marchionne is the possibility to sell Alfa Romeo models under the Dodge brand in the U.S. and Dodge cars as Alfa Romeos in Europe.

According to the CEO, the two brands share a common identity and therefore should work closer in the near future.

"The level of competition between these two brands is tremendous because they are both going after the same customer," said Marchionne. "Dodge is the American muscle car, while Alfa Romeo is the European muscle car. How we dovetail these two brands is very important."

While we're having a hard time trying to find any current Dodge model that could fit in Alfa's European range - especially if you take into consideration the different needs of buyers on the other side of the Atlantic, we could see several Alfa models including the MiTo making it to the States with the Dodge logo.

But wouldn't such a move dilute Alfa's premium image? Unless that is, Fiat is considering to abandon its plans to re-introduce the Italian firm to American buyers.

In any case, Marchionne said that he wants to make a final decision on the future of the two brands by the end of the July, so it won't be long before we learn more details.

Via: Bloomberg

Alfa Romeo 8C Spider to Climb Goodwood Hill

The first Alfa Romeo 8C Spider production car to be seen on the move in Britain will participate at next weekend's Goodwood Festival of Speed. The Spider will be joined on the hill by several famous motor racing cars from Alfa's historic museum collection in Arese, Italy, including a 1924 P2 Gran Premio which won the first World Championship in 1925 and the 6C 3000 CM that was driven to second place by Juan Manuel Fangio in the 1953 Mille Miglia.

The Italian firm which is a year shy of its 100th anniversary, said that it will also bring along two special concept cars, the wedge-shaped 1968 Alfa Carabo featuring hydropneumatic-powered gull-wing doors and multi-coloured one way glass windows, and the 1978 Najavo study.

Alfa Romeo MiTo with GTA-Like Aero Kit by Lester

While Alfa Romeo enthusiasts are awaiting for the Italian company to release a punchier variant of the MiTo in the form of the production version of the 240HP GTA Concept, tuners across Europe are presenting their own proposals for the stylish sport hatch. What Lester lacks in under-the-hood performance upgrades, the Italian tuner tries to compensate with a variety of styling parts that include a front spoiler, a rear diffuser, numerous roof spoilers, beefier side skirts, 8C Competizione-like side air vents and a hood scoop.

Lester's offerings also include a uniquely styled woofer housing that essentially eliminates the trunk space while the Italian company said that the car pictured here also features 18-inch mulitspoke alloy wheels shod in Yokohama tires (215/40R18), a suspension kit from H&R and a sport exhaust system from Inoxcar.

CODE - DESCRIPTION - PRICE

• FS3410XX - FRONT SPOILER VT - €138,00
• H1032GXX - REAR ROOF SPOLER PR - €96,00
• H1035GXX - REAR ROOF SPOLER - RACING PR - €136,00
• H81543GXX - ADJUSTABLE REAR SPOILER without primer PR - €95,00
• H81543XX - ADJUSTABLE REAR SPOILER PR - €113,00
• H86243GXX - ADJUSTABLE REAR SPOILER without primer PR - €94,00
• M215XX - SIDE SKIRTS VT - €148,00
• PA315AXX - BONNET VENT VT - €98,00
• PA316MXX - AIR INTAKES 2pcs.- for front wings VT - €98,00
• RE77510XX - REAR AIR EXTRACTING DEVICE VT - €142,00
• RE77512XX - REAR AIR EXTRACTING DEVICE for double exhaust (left +right) VT - €152,00
• WH507XX - WOOFER HOUSING VT 178,00

2010 Alfa Romeo Milano - 149 Hatchback Spied Testing on the Nurburgring

Our spies have captured a masked prototype of the Alfa Romeo Milano, previously known as the 149, running tests at the Nurburgring race track in Germany. The Golf-sized premium hatchback will replace the aging 147 that has been around since 2000 having received a mid-life facelift in 2004. Rivaling the likes of the Audi A3 and BMW 1-Series hatch, the Milano uses the Fiat Group's new C-Evo medium car platform that is said to underpin an array of future Chrysler Group models.

The extensive cladding on the prototype cannot hide the familiar styling traits from Alfa Romeo's latest generation models and especially the curvalicious front end with the circular headlamps inspired from the MiTo and the 8C Competizione.

The spy photos suggest that the Milano will get a steeply raked roofline and a more unique treatment for the rear-end, though expect to see circular LED tail-lamps similar in design to the ones found on the MiTo.

When the Milano begins to arrive at Alfa Romeo's European dealerships sometime in the second half of 2010, the five-door hatchback will most likely be offered with the Fiat Group's 1.4-liter and 1.75-liter turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engines producing between 120HP and 200HP+. The range will also include a variety of turbo diesels.

Expect to see Alfa releasing sportier Ti variants with cosmetic and suspension upgrades while rumor has it that the Italians are also considering a range-topping GTA model, though we must point out that the same was said about the 159 and Alfa has yet to reveal its S4 challenger.

The official presentation of the Milano could take place as early as the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, but chances are that Alfa will probably wait for the Geneva Show in March 2010. It remains to be seen if the Alfa Romeo Milano makes its way to the States after the Fiat Group's tie up with Chrysler.