Unsurprisingly, of the twelve vehicles whose crash test results were released today by Euro NCAP, eight of them were awarded with a maximum of five stars. Euro NCAP’s top scorers for adult occupant protection in this release were the Alfa Romeo Mito, Ford Fiesta, Peugeot 308CC, Volkswagen Golf VI, Renault Megane, Honda Accord, Opel Insignia and the Volvo XC60. Oddly enough, and even though the new Ford Ka shares the same platform and mechanics with the Fiat 500 which has obtained a five-star rating, Ford’s mini was awarded with four stars.

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The countdown has began for the announcement of the European ‘Car of the Year 2009′ winner as the organizers released the shortlist with the seven finalists. The cars that made it to the final round of the 2009 COTY are: Alfa Romeo MiTo, Citroen C5, Ford Fiesta, Opel/Vauxhall Insignia, Renault Megane, Skoda Superb and Volkswagen Golf VI. The COTY jury, which is made up of 59 senior motoring journalists from 23 countries around Europe will reveal the winner on November 19.

The COTY’s organizing committee also released a statement in concern of recent news stories that gave the result of a ‘European Car of the Year’. According to the committee, this contest was a national one staged by the Italian Motor Journalists Association and had no connection whatsoever with the ‘Car of the Year’.

COTY PREVIOUS WINNERS

• 2008 — FIAT 500
• 2007– FORD S-MAX
• 2006 — RENAULT CLIO
• 2005 — TOYOTA PRIUS
• 2004 — FIAT PANDA
• 2003 — RENAULT MÉGANE
• 2002 — PEUGEOT 307
• 2001 — ALFA ROMEO 147
• 2000 — TOYOTA YARIS
• 1999 — FORD FOCUS
• 1998 — ALFA ROMEO 156
• 1997 — RENAULT MÉGANE SCENIC
• 1996 — FIAT BRAVO / BRAVA
• 1995 — FIAT PUNTO

Alfa targets mini with 2009 Mito hatchback

SPECS
ON SALE: Now, in Europe
BASE PRICE: $22,000 (est)
DRIVETRAIN: 1.4-liter, 155-hp, 170-lb-ft turbocharged I4; FWD, six-speed manual
CURB WEIGHT: 2,524 lb
0-60 MPH: 8.0 sec (mfr)
FUEL ECONOMY (EPA): 36 mpg (est)

The best, Alfa Romeo boss Luca De Meo insists, is yet to come. Those are strong words when you consider the great interior design, swooping body and ultrasecure handling package of the new MiTo, but there is truth in what he says. The big technology is still cooking in Torino, and by the time the MiTo arrives in 2010, it will have both a revolutionary camless engine and a direct-shift gearbox.

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Say hello to the car that wants to dethrone BMW’s MINI from the premium subcompact segment, Alfa Romeo’s highly anticipated, Mi.To. After a series of pre-releases, the Italian carmaker unleashed today all info and pictures of its new “baby” model whose name is inspired by the cities where it was designed (Milan) and will be built (Turin).

Due to be launch in all the major markets in stages from July (unfortunately, the U.S. is not among them) the Mi.To is essentially a Fiat Grande Punto wrapped in an 8C Competizione inspired costume. Judging by the pictures, the end result is mouthwatering to say the least. Hopefully, Alfa Romeo’s engineers will have performed some magic to the mediocre in terms of driving dynamics, Grande Punto platform. Read more »