Sales of the Alfa Romeo Mito in Australia are set to make a significant advance with the launch of new Alfa Romeo Twin Clutch Transmission (Alfa TCT) at the Geneva International Motor Show next week (2 March 20100 and its arrival in Australia in the third quarter of this year.

“While the Alfa Romeo Mito has put in a solid performance for us in Australia since its launch last year, its lack of an automatic gearbox has held back sales,” says Andrei Zaitzev, General Manager for Alfa Romeo in Australia.”This new gearbox will transform this situation. We will have a state of the art gearbox with the performance and fuel economy advantages of a manual and, thanks to the new twin clutch technology, the refinement and ease of operation of full automatic. This intelligent technology fits seamlessly with the MiTo and we fully expect it to double Alfa Romeo Mito sales in Australia.”

The arrival of the Alfa TCT gearbox will also mark the launch of the first engine in Australia to use the revolutionary MultiAir technology that dramatically cuts fuel consumption and emissions while also boosting performance. The new engine matched to the TCT transmission will be matched to the 99 kW 1.4 litre MultiAir engine and, in another first for Australia, this new version of the Alfa Romeo MiTo will be fitted with the Award-winning Stop&Start technology that turns off the engine when it is not required, further saving fuel and cutting emissions.

“This advanced technology combines to provide excellent performance on the road, at the fuel bowser and from the exhaust pipe,” says Mr Zaitzev. “The Alfa Romeo Mito 1.4 MultiAir zips to 100 kmh in just 8.4 seconds, yet, at the same time, offers an open road fuel consumption of just 4.5 litres 100 km and CO2 emissions of just 129 g/km. Yet, despite this advanced technology and the benefits it offers, we expect pricing to be comparable with a conventional automatic gearbox.”

“This means that the Alfa Romeo Mito MultiAir has a unique blend of Alfa Romeo style, performance, fuel economy and low emissions and it explains why we are certain it will transform sales of the MiTo in Australia,” says Mr Zaitzev.