Alfa Romeo MiTo Twinair: entry to Italian brand to dip below $25,000 driveway

The Alfa Romeo MiTo 'Twinair' will join as part of the face lifted three-door and change an anomaly where the bigger Alfa Romeo Giulietta five-door hatch starts at a cheaper point.

The Giulietta's starting price was cut by nearly $4500 in May 2013, to $25,000 driveway. The MiTo currently starts at $25,200 before on-road costs are added.

The Alfa Romeo MiTo will wear a driveway price that will sit more comfortably below the $25,000 driveway bigger brother.

The 0.9-litre turbocharged two-cylinder Twinair engine is produced by Fiat and already found in locally sold Fiats such as the 500 and Panda city cars.

Featuring an electro-hydraulic inlet valve control system, the tiny engine produces 63kW of power and 145Nm of torque. It sips as little as 3.9L/100km in the Fiat 500 according to the official fuel figures, though real world driving has revealed a greater thirst for fuel.

The Alfa Romeo MiTo is currently offered in three trims with one 1.4-litre turbo four-cylinder engine in two states of tune: 99kW/190Nm for the Progressive and Distinctive models, and 125kW/250Nm for the sportier QV.

An updated version of the Giulietta was shown alongside the MY14 MiTo at the 2013 Frankfurt motor show, though will follow later, in the third quarter of 2014.

Alfa's 2014 line-up will also see the arrival of the 4C sports car in the second quarter.