Alfa Romeo will unveil the sport variant of the uber cool MiTo hatch, dubbed the MiTo GTA at next month’s Geneva Motor Show. The concept which will be displayed at the show is likely to go into production with almost the same specifications and looks, by mid 2009. Though some find the standard MiTo’s styling odd the car does have an air of exclusivity around it. The GTA version is a whole new beast altogether and looks ravishing from all angles except head-on. The sports hatch looks a stunner from the rear with those wide section tyres, large diameter dual exhausts complimenting the squat look.

The stylish hatch will be powered by a new 1.75 litre direct injection turbo petrol engine with 240 bhp, developed by Fiat Powertrain Technologies. GTA stands for Gran Turismo Alleggerito (Alleggerito means reduced weight in Italian), thus the car features many weight saving measures for improved power-to-weight ratio. That coupled with lowered centre of gravity, increased downforce through a carbon-fibre tailgate spoiler, roof and mirror fairings make the MiTo GTA an able performer.
Other upgrades include revised suspension setup which now includes an active suspension management system with advanced damper control and improved under-body aerodynamics.

Safety kit is extensive and includes multiple airbags, ABS, ESP and EBD as standard. The Alfa Romeo MiTo GTA would compete head on with the Mini Cooper JCW when it is launched in the middle of this year in Europe.