Photos have leaked out of Alfa Romeo's factory clearly showing how the replacement for the 147 hatchback (rumoured to be named the Milano) will look. Apparently, an enterprising insider snapped the new model as a batch of pre-production cars were being built. Looking like a cross between the
147 and the
MiTo, it is the first car to be built on a new Fiat Group mid-size platform.
That platform, known as 'C-Evo architecture', will also underpin the
Alfa 159 replacement along with other Fiat and Chrysler mid-size cars. Despite the 'Evo' part of the name it is all new and is flexible enough to support a variety of lengths and widths as well as either front or four-wheel drive; only the Milano GTA hot hatch is likely to make use of this capability.
The Milano gets a MiTo-style 'face' although the headlamps are more angular than the units fitted to the smaller car. The Alfa grille is prominent, with a thicker chrome frame and straight edges. The tail lamps are a fusion between the MiTo's round units and the rhomboid lamps fitted to other Alfas. The interior features individual circular binnacles for the speedometer and rev counter with the circular theme continued in the air conditioning controls.
Leaked documents from the Fiat Group suggest that the Milano is one of the cars that will see the Italian company return to the USA. Whether this plan bears fruit remains to be seen, but with the first cars being finished it seems likely that Alfa's new Golf rival will make its debut soon; possibly at the
Frankfurt Motor Show, in September.
John Lambert - 13 Jul 2009