Imparato added: “Many of Alfa Romeo’s fans still miss the Mito and Giulietta, and now we revamp their stories. Welcome home.”

Measuring 4170mm long by 1780mm wide and 1500mm tall, the Junior adopts several bold new design cues but nods back to Alfas of old with features like the swollen wheel arches, a ‘coda tronca’ bluff rear end and SZ-inspired headlights.

The most distinctive feature is the new interpretation of Alfa’s traditional ‘scudetto’ front grille, which on electric versions features stylised elements from the firm’s logo.

Claiming “the lowest weight in the segment and optimal mass distribution”, Alfa talks up the “best-in-class” driving dynamics of the Junior, noting that the chassis was tuned by the same team responsible for the hardcore Giulia GTA super-saloon.

The Veloce variant, positioned as the most driver-focused in the range, is fitted with the same Torsen limited-slip differential as the Abarth 600e. There are front and rear anti-roll bars, with the firm claiming best in class driving dynamics.

It also has “the most direct steering in the segment”, Alfa said, with a ratio of 14:1, alongside a 25mm suspension drop, stiffer anti-roll bars at each end and “high-performance” tyres.