Small and stunning MiTo GTA

The new MINI virtually invented the premium supermini concept, but Alfa Romeo wants a slice of the pie with the MiTo. So, not to be outdone, the Italian firm has wowed Geneva with the MiTo GTA Concept. Note the 'concept' part, though: Alfa is hedging its bets with this one.

What's all the fuss about?

Well, just look at it. If ever a supermini could park next to Ford's brand new Focus RS flagship and not feel inadequate, this is it. Check out the rear splitter and two huge central tailpipes. Then there's the MINI, the car Alfa hoped would be scared to death when the MiTo hit showrooms. That never quite happened, but this version will have the hottest JCW version quaking in its size eighteens.

Any new technology?

Nothing particularly new, though Alfa has confirmed it will be powered by a 1.7-litre direct injection turbocharged engine, pushing out an astonishing 240bhp. Weight reduction is paramount on this little monster, too, so there's carbon fibre everywhere and aluminium parts for the braking and suspension systems, and even some of the chassis. It also gets active suspension with 'Skyhook' dampers - a system similar to that in the Maserati Quattroporte. Impressive.

Will it ever see the light of day?

Probably. So much work has gone into making this very powerful, significantly lighter and useable as a day-to-day runabout that we'd be very surprised if Alfa pulled the plug on it. The maker is even talking about 'environmental awareness', so it's got one eye on CO₂ emissions and fuel economy - you know, the stuff we look at when we buy cars these days.

Mark Nichol