One of Alfa Romeo’s most attractive cars that we barely hear of is its tiny MiTo hatchback, which has been on sale since 2008.

The MiTo comes exclusively as a three-door and competes with other subscompacts such as the Audi A1 and MINI Cooper.

Although the Alfa Romeo brand returns to these shores later this year, the MiTo won’t be making the trip as the car’s design is already several years old and predicted demand in the U.S. has been deemed too low.

The good news is that a successor is planned and Fiat Chrysler Group CEO Sergio Marchionne wants the new car in the U.S., although he remains cautious of its chances in this market and may still rule it out.

The information comes from Car and Driver, which reports that the next-generation MiTo will enter production around 2016 and will likely spawn more bodystyles including a possible crossover variant.

The key is utilizing the platform underpinning the Fiat 500L, which can accommodate all-wheel drive and crossover designs. In fact, this platform will soon spawn subcompact crossovers for Fiat and even Jeep.    

Engines would also be shared with Fiat products, with the entry-level option being a turbocharged twin-cylinder engine rated at roughly 100 horsepower, and the range-topper getting a turbocharged four-cylinder unit with around 200 horsepower on tap (the current MiTo develops between 83 and 167 horsepower). There’s even talk of a plug-in hybrid model, though we wouldn’t hold our breath waiting for this particular variant.

Of course, a lot can happen between now and the car’s 2016 launch date so we wouldn’t rule out anything just yet.

Stay tuned for an update.