I posted the Alfa Romeo MiTo a while ago, but Jinx was not too impressed with it. Liked the Fiat Punto styling better (and the Ford Fiesta performance better). What about it's little cousin the new Fiat 500? It has gotten some press in the US, while the Punto has none here. Of course none of these are sold in the US, so I am comparing 1/43 and not the real versions! :freak: Both of these are Mondo Motors:
http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm12/kschnelle/Alfa/MondoMotorsMiToand500.jpg
I heard these are both made on the same Fiat plant in Turin, so I assumed they shared platforms. Turns out the 500 is about 1 cm shorter in 1/43 scale (52 cm in 1:1), so perhaps they do not share the same platform. The MiTo is based on the Grande Punto, the 500 on the Panda.

Very nice castings. Personally, Alfa Romeo is one of my favorite brands ( behind Ferrari and Lamborghini)

Karl, the Fiat 500 is actually built in Poland, where Fiat have long had a relationship with FSO. In the same factory, Fiat also make the new Ford Ka, which, in effect, is a rebodied 500, although Ford have specified some changes to the suspension.

As for the Mito / Grande Punto, they have a relationship with GM's Opel / Vauxhall Corsa.......it can all get a little confusing, particularly when Fiat also sell a rebadged Suzuki SX4 as a Fiat Sedici....

As for the Fiat 500, it has proved to be a success, in the same vein as BMW's MINI - people seem to go for the retro styling, harking back to the original. I must admit to a sneeking admiration for the Abarth version.