Alfa Romeo plans to build an entry-level premium car to compete with the Mini Cooper S according to a report in Automotive News.
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The sporty three-door hatchback, called the Junior, is to be based on the Fiat Grande Punto platform. But it will have a different body.
Alfa won corporate approval for the design from parent Fiat Auto S.p.A. this month, the report said.
The Junior, due by 2008, is expected to become Alfa’s new entry model. It will fit below the 147, which will be replaced in early 2009 by the larger 149.
Alfa plans a return to the US market in late 2008, beginning with expensive sports cars sold through the US dealers that sell its sister brand, Maserati. But the new Mini-fighter is not slated for the United States because the Grande Punto platform was not engineered for US regulations, the report said.
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By GlobalDataThe Junior is expected to sell 60,000 to 80,000 units a year, the report added.
