Alfa Romeo at the Paris Show: New Engine Options for Giulietta and Pretty Much Nothing Else

Unless Alfa Romeo has a very big surprise up its sleeves (which we certainly hope so given that the brand is celebrating its 100th birthday this year...), the only new models capable of capturing our attention at the Milanese firm's Paris Motor Show booth will be the usual 'female fatales' standing alongside their automobiles.

According to the company's press release, "the stars" of the Alfa Romeo stand will be the brand-new 140 HP 2.0 JTDM and the 170 HP 1.4 MultiAir turbo petrol with "Alfa TCT" automatic transmission versions of the Giulietta.

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Alfa Romeo MiTo Turismo Sport Edition Joins UK Lineup

A new trim level has been added to the UK range of the Alfa Romeo MiTo hatch. Named the Turismo Sport, this edition is all/just about colors and extra content. On top of the standard equipment found in the MiTo Turismo, the Sport edition adds new 16-icnh alloy wheels, a roof spoiler, cruise control, Blue & Me technology, fog lights and a leather steering wheel with audio and phone controls.

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Aussie Cops get Alfa Romeo MiTo Police Car

We won't go as far as calling it an interceptor, but Sydney's Rose Bay Police is the latest law enforcement force in Australia to get an Alfa Romeo police car. The MiTo is the most recent in a series of cars provided by the Italian automaker to police forces around Australia.

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Iconic Alfa Romeo 158 F1 Racer Meets MiTo QV

Alfa Romeo appears to be on a celebration spree this year. Aside from the year-long festivities to commemorate the firm's 100th birthday, the Italian automaker is now celebrating the 60th anniversary of its historic 1-2-3 finish at the first ever F1 European Championship race, which was held at Silverstone motor racing circuit sixty years ago this week (13th May).

To celebrate, the company photographed one of the rare 158s which competed in this historic race alongside the latest Alfa to bear the motorsport inspired Cloverleaf badge, the MiTo QV sport hatch.

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New Multijet II Turbo Diesel for Alfa Romeo MiTo

Alfa Romeo is ushering in the next generation of its diesel technology to the MiTo range in the UK with the introduction of the MultiJet II engine. Developed by Fiat Powertrain Technologies (FPT), the 1.3-liter JTDM II diesel comes with Start&Stop tech and a Diesel Particulate Filter. It develops an output of 95bhp at 4,000 rpm and 200Nm of peak torque at 1,500 rpm.

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Maserati Joins Forces with Alfa Romeo to Create Special Edition MiTo for Service Network

A Maserati MiTo? Well, not quite. The recent tie-up between Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Fiat's Abarth division has given birth to a special edition version of the MiTo hatch that will be used exclusively as a courtesy car for Maserati's customers in Europe in the same way that Ferrari's service network makes use of the Fiat 500 (click here for details).

All in all, the Italians are planning to produced one-hundred units of the special edition Alfa Romeo MiTo for Maserati's service network.

The cars are fitted with the most powerful engine in the MiTo range, the 1.4-liter turbo petrol that churns out 170 horsepower, and all are finished in a deep blue Maserati Blu Oceano color.

Special treats include the "Limited Edition" plaque on the air conditioning unit, and the kick plate made from specially treated aluminum, bearing the words "Alfa Romeo for Maserati".

Other features include the 18-inch wheels, a sport exterior package and Alfa's Dynamic Suspension that actively varies the set-up to reflect the road conditions and driving style.

And since Maserati's customers are accustomed to luxurious options, the 100 cars also get a series of high-end details such as Pelle Frau upholstery, automatic dual-zone climate control, leather steering wheel complete with radio and telephone controls, a radio navigator covering the whole of Europe, and a hands-free Blue&Me system including USB port and bi-xenon headlights.

Alfa Romeo Announces UK Pricing for 2010 MiTo with New MultiAir Turbo Engines

Buyers in Britain will be able to order the 2010MY Alfa Romeo MiTo with new turbocharged petrol engines featuring the Fiat Group's revolutionary MultiAir technology from early January with first deliveries expected in Spring. At launch, two engine versions will become available, 1.4-liter Turbo with 135bhp that's priced from £15,165 (about USD$24,600), and the range-topping 1.4-liter Turbo Cloverleaf (Quadrifoglio) with 170bhp and a starting price of £17,895 (around USD$29,000).

The Fiat Group's new MultiAir system directly controls the air and combustion in engines cylinder by cylinder, stroke by stroke, through the intake engine valves without using the throttle.

According to the Italian carmaker, the use of this technology results in a 10% reduction of CO2 emissions and fuel consumption, and a 10% engine power increase as well as a 15% torque improvement over an engine without this system.

Alfa Romeo Announces Sporty MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde with 170HP 1.4-liter Turbo Engine

We were hoping that Alfa Romeo would introduce the production version of the 240hp MiTo GTA concept at the Frankfurt show but the Italians decided to start off with something a little less spicy in the form the sporty Quadrifoglio Verde model. The "four-leaf clover" MiTo is powered by Alfa's revolutionary new 1.4-liter MultiAir turbo engine that cranks out 170HP or 15 more ponies than the turbo engine of the 1.4L TBi model.

Power is transferred to the front wheels through a newly developed "C635" six-speed gearbox.

Alfa claims a 0 to 100km/h (62mph) sprint time of a little over 7 seconds with an extra-urban cycle (that means highway) fuel consumption of just 4.8 lt/100 km (49mpg US) and CO2 emissions of 139 g/km.

To further improve handling Alfa equipped the MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde with its Dynamic Suspension system that has been co-developed with Magneti Marelli. The system comprises of four electronically controlled shock absorbers, five accelerometric sensors, a control unit and an interface for the three different settings (Normal, All Weather and Dynamic).

A sporty Alfa wouldn't be complete without the visual upgrades so the Italians fitted the Quadrifoglio Verde with 17-inch alloy wheels finished in satin titanium that is also used for the headlight and tail lamp frames as well as for the wing mirrors.

The hot hatch's interior is further enhanced by the different fabric used to upholster the seats, the dashboard and the white lighting on the instrument panel.

Alfa Mito Inspires Fashion Designers to Create a Line of Women's Jeans...

In an attempt to "Lancia-Ypsilon-ize" (...) the MiTo hatch and make it more desirable to female buyers, Alfa Romeo's UK arm joined forces with TV's fashion persona (or so the company claims) Louise Roe, to challenge two promising young fashion designers to create a line of women's jeans, and at the same time, raise money for charity. The result of the work of London-based designers Bjork and McElligott is a one-off series of limited edition skinny-fit jeans.

In the extremely rare case that some of you (hopefully, only female readers) are actually interested in the designer jeans that feature Alfa Romeo red stitching and badges embroidered on the rear pockets, you can order them through mitojeans.co.uk. Prices are set at £75 a pair.

If it makes you feel better, the proceeds are expected to raise funds for the girls in the pics Jeans for Genes, a charity that helps children and families affected by genetic disorders.