Alfa Romeo MiTo Voted European Car of the Year

It looks like turning their eyes towards a more compact segment was a smart move on their part, because they've managed to implement that sexy Italian style and complement it with cutting-edge technology to create the MiTo, which is already a winner in the eyes of the automotive press.

According to Italymag, Fiat Group released a statement which said that the MiTo had been voted European car of the year 2009 by a panel of sector journalists. The reasons behind this choice were revealed to be the level of technology employed, the overall price and, of course, the design of the car.

The car received a grand total of 462 points in the top, which put is in front of the second place car, also an Italian, the Lancia Delta that scored 348 points. The funny thing is that the Lancia brand is also part of the Fiat Group, which means the Italian automaker managed to snatch the first two positions of the top. The number three spot was taken the Americans at Ford, with their Ford Fiesta model, a car that scored 295 points.

Alfa Romeo CEO, Luca De Meo, who also happens to be Fiat's marketing director said: “We are very pleased that such an authoritative jury recognized the strength and modernity of our concept to place the great attributes of Alfa Romeo into a compact car”.

“This prestigious award represents for us an encouragement for our project to relaunch our marque to which we are dedicating great passion,” De Meo added.

The MiTo, an acronym of the two cities that are symbolic for Alfa, Milan (Alfa's home town) and Torino or Turin (Fiat's home town), represents a new venture for Alfa, which confessed it sought to grab the attention of a younger, more dynamic market.