Maserati’s mini MiTo

MASERATI owners will soon have exclusive use of a specially prepared Alfa Romeo MiTo while they have their vehicles serviced.

Finished in a unique blue colour the company dubs ‘Maserati Blu Oceano’, only 100 of these vehicles will be built for Maserati globally.

While Alfa Romeo Australia spokesman Edward Rowe would not be drawn into revealing how many of the Maserati-esque MiTos will be coming to Australia (if at all), he said the model on which it was based on – the Quadrifoglio Verde – will be here by the end of the year.

Both the latter and the Maserati light-car loaner will feature the much-anticipated MultiAir engine technology when it arrives in Australia in the second half of 2010.

The 1.4-litre MultiAir features a turbocharged petrol engine that promises significantly reduced emissions while upping performance and economy figures compared to Alfa’s regular 1.4-litre turbo engine.

This powerplant will also feature in a range of other Alfa Romeo and Fiat models to be released in Australia over the next few years.

The other MiTo Maserati exclusives are new aluminium kick plates (bearing the words “Alfa Romeo for Maserati”) and a dashboard plaque, while Alfa has raided the options list to include leather upholstery, dual-zone climate control air-conditioning, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with remote controls for the audio and telephone functions, bi-Xenon high-intensity discharge headlights, and satellite navigation.

In line with MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde, the Maserati model also boasts 18-inch alloys, a rear spoiler, aluminium pedals and Alfa’s DNA electronic damper system.

“Through this partnership with Alfa Romeo, Maserati's European network will be able to offer customers a special car that reflects its own philosophy, where each choice is the product of the utmost attention and care paid to every detail,” Maserati’s international press release states.