To production that is.

Quite a lot of cars have been pushed out of public interest due to rumors of development projects being shut down. And quite a lot of concepts don’t make it to production. Not in this kind of car market and global economy.

While Alfa Romeo hasn’t announced whether or not the GTA version of its MiTo small car will make it to production, a lot of doomsayers are claiming that there’s no possibility it ever would. Still, without any official announcement from Alfa Romeo, anything can still happen.

The MiTo GTA was first seen as a concept at the Geneva Motor Show and Alfa chief Luca de Meo has been saying that the car will be made. The initially reported power figure is at 240hp coming from a 1.75L turbo. A few upgrades from the standard MiTo include aerodynamic enhancements and beefier suspensions.

The car was initially slated for a debut this year but if the car ever makes it, it will come out in 2010 at the soonest.

Would you look at this next car Alfa Romeo’s coming up with. Thinking that there is a gap in between the base MiTo and the upcoming MiTO GTA (which is a beast with the power of 240 horses), they decided to slot in the MiTo Veloce to fill it in.

The MiTo Veloce will not be as powerful as the GTA but it will still squeeze 180 hp from a turbocharged 1.4L engine. Even with the turbo, that’s quite a lot coming from a small engine. With that power, the MiTo Veloce will be able to go from naught to sixty-two in just 7.5 seconds.

Aside from the additional horses, the car will also get a sportier body kit (to differentiate it from the ho-hum base MiTo, we presume), sport suspensions to help keep the car in line, and new alloy wheels.

The car is expected to be showcased in AutoRAI motor show in Amsterdam this April.

Alfa Romeo has released information on its upcoming MiTo GTA, a prototype for the sporty version of its 3-door supermini. Though it is still a concept when it is unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, the Italian car manufacturer has stated that the GTA shown will be ‘production-ready.’

The Alfa Romeo MiTo GTA is equipped with the new Fiat 1.8-liter turbo engine, complete with variable valve timing and direct injection technology. All of that gives the MiTo GTA a whopping 240 brake horsepower.

Since it is designated as a sportier, higher-performance variant, the MiTo GTA has also been given a lower ride height—it is 20 millimeters lower than the standard MiTo supermini. The suspension system has also been modified to provide optimized weight transfer. The weight has also been given a reduction for a lower center of gravity, along with carbon-fiber components like the spoiler at the rear.

With its aerodynamic and performance tweaks, the Alfa Romeo MiTo GTA looks to be quite the stunner. We’ll see more of it and have access to more detailed information as the Geneva Show gets underway next week.

Source: Autocar