Alfa Romeo MiTo Facelift Coming with 900cc Engine

The first facelift of the MiTo family is expected to be rolled out in 2012 and, apart from the obvious styling improvements that will make it to the new model, the car is likely to be offered with a 900cc engine as well. Although boasting such a small displacement, the engine won't neglect performance figures and will be specifically optimized for improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions.

French publication L'Automobile Magazine writes that the future 0.9-liter engine could develop 105 horsepower and 155 Nm of torque and will reach fuel consumption figures of 4.5 l/100km (52.2 mpg), which is 1.4 l/100km less than the current 1.4-liter powerplant that releases 78 horsepower and 1.3 l/100km less than the 1.4-liter configuration with 105 horsepower.

If it will be indeed installed on the MiTo range, the engine will be the same SGE (Small Gasoline Engine) 0.9 installed on the 2010 Fiat 500. It features Fiat Group's Multiair technology which controls the intake valves in order to provide greater power, thus being able to develop the same performance as a larger naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine while burning less fuel and emitting less CO2.

For the 500 range, there are two turbine equipped versions with 80HP and 105 HP and also a more modest, naturally aspirated 65 HP incarnation of the engine, also featuring the Multiair system. A compressed Natural Gas (CNG) version is also available, but there's no official confirmation whether Alfa Romeo is pondering the use of a single or multiple versions of this particular engine.