MiTo goes auto with a twin clutch Sales of the Alfa Romeo Mito in New Zealand 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 and its arrival in New Zealand in the third quarter of this year.
“While the Alfa Romeo Mito has put in a solid performance for us in New Zealand since its launch last year its lack of an automatic gearbox has held back sales,” says Lawrie Malatios, General Manager for Alfa Romeo in New Zealand.
”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 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 quadruple Alfa Romeo Mito sales in New Zealand.”
The arrival of the Alfa TCT gearbox will also mark the launch of the first engine in New Zealand to use the revolutionary MultiAir technology that dramatically cuts fuel consumption and emissions while also boosting performance.
The new TCT transmission will be matched to the 99 kW 1.4 litre MultiAir engine and, in another first for New Zealand, 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 pump and from the exhaust pipe,” says Mr Malatios. 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. Despite this advanced technology and the benefits it offers, we expect pricing to be comparable with a conventional automatic gearbox.”
The Alfa Romeo MiTo MultiAir and TCT Gearbox will arrive in New Zealand in the third quarter of 2010, when local specifications and prices will be announced.
