Edmunds.com/Inside Line (Enlarge photo)

04/07/2008 15:30. Small, premium cars are all the rage in Europe right now. In a place where the fuel crisis has hit harder than most — a gallon of diesel now costs more than $10 in the United Kingdom — the appeal of a fun, chichi yet cost-effective minicar is self-evident. It's a formula that's worked brilliantly for Mini and is now being followed by the all-new 2009 Alfa MiTo, which goes on sale across Europe later this summer.

Alfa's current bosses make no secret of the fact that the once-iconic marque has underperformed in the past 30 years, and they see the front-wheel-drive MiTo as critical to its renaissance. Equally important is Alfa Romeo's anticipated return to the U.S. in 2009 with the 8C supercar, but it remains unclear whether the MiTo will ever make it to these shores.

The styling of... // Edmunds.com/Inside Line