The award-winning Fiat 500 supermini has received further confirmation of its green credentials after scooping top honours in the Supermini category of the What Car? Green Awards for the second year in a row.
The awards, which took place last night (14 July) at Twickenham Stadium, Middlesex, are designed to recognise and highlight motoring’s most economical and environmentally-friendly cars.
The What Car? judges chose the 1.2-litre version of the Fiat 500 for top supermini honours in this year’s competition – the same award as the one picked up by the popular city car in 2009. The vehicle is fitted as standard with Fiat’s fuel-saving Start&Stop system – as are all 500 models.
The Start&Stop system stops the engine automatically whenever traffic conditions bring the car to a complete halt, and restarts it when the driver wants to move off again.
“It’s everything that a green supermini should be – affordable, fun and easy on the environment,” says What Car? editor-in-chief Steve Fowler. “It’s no surprise Fiat’s brilliant 500 has won this category for the second year in a row. Nothing else in this class can mix as much style, affordability and fun with such green credentials.”
“Part of the 500’s attraction to customers is that it delivers great value for money at the fuel pumps,” adds Elena Bernardelli, marketing director, Fiat Group Automobiles UK Ltd. “Add in the fact that the car is great to drive, stylish and fantastic to look at, and we think we have a winning formula. I’m delighted that the What Car? judges agree with us.”
Available with a choice of three frugal, ultra-low emissions, Euro 5-compliant engines: 69bhp 1.2-litre and 100bhp 1.4-litre petrol, or 95bhp 1.3-litre MultiJet turbodiesel, the new Fiat 500 can be ordered in three different trim levels – Pop, Sport and Lounge – along with a limited edition 500byDiesel version.
With a starting price of just £9,465 OTR for the 1.2 Pop, the new Fiat 500 represents outstanding value for money.
Thursday, 15 July 2010
Wednesday, 14 July 2010
Fiat 500 Pink - Think Pink
If you want a pink car, there aren’t too many options but the Fiat 500 Pink is one. Steve Walker takes a look.
Close your eyes and imagine the least masculine car you can. A vehicle that will have certain socioeconomic groups swooning but would be the very last thing the stereotypical white van man, lumberjack or Royal Marine Commando would want to be seen driving around town in. You might never have seen or heard of a Fiat 500 but there’s a very good chance you’re currently picturing that car and that it’s in Pink special edition guise.
Fiat isn’t aiming for a broad appeal with this model, offered in fixed top or convertible 500C guises. Some people will run a mile at the prospect of the cheekily retro 500 citycar with shocking pink bodywork but others will doubtless see it as all their motoring fantasies made metal. Whatever your viewpoint, it’s hard not to have an opinion on the 500 Pink. It’s a difficult car to ignore and with only 500 examples due to be sold, a key reason for its existence is to raise awareness of the models in the Fiat 500 range that don’t look like giant marshmallows.
Sitting at the bottom of the Fiat 500 engine line-up, the 1.2-litre unit is nothing to get overly excited about but the Pink’s paintwork will bring all the excitement most people can take so that may not be a problem. It’s a 1,242cc 8-valve 4-cylinder engine that produces a maximum of 69bhp at 5,500rpm and only 102Nm of torque. At least the 500 is both lightweight and used primarily for short journeys in urban areas. This means that the engine isn’t asked to work too hard and should be exposed to the open road, where its lack of punch might be more evident, only infrequently.
The 0-60mph sprint time is nothing to be ashamed of at 12.9s and is less than half a second down on the range-topping diesel engine. With a top speed of 99mph, occasional motorway jaunts are far from out of the question.
"Fiat says that the 500 Pink will appeal "mainly to young women" and it’s not wrong"
It’s pink, I think we’ve established that. Otherwise, this special edition version of the 500 is similar to the standard car. There’s a side rubbing strip with the 500 badge on each flank and the interior is in black to give those scorched retinas a well earned break.
At 1.65m wide, 1.49m high and 3.55m long, the 500 doesn’t take up a great deal of space. For reference, a MINI is 1.91m wide, 1.40m high and 3.68m long: in other words much wider, a little lower and a fair bit longer. Even Renault’s second generation Twingo, at 3.60m, won’t fit into some parking spaces the 500 will be able to squeeze into.
Despite these compact measurements, interior space is OK for a citycar. You can seat adults in the back, though they may not thank you for it, and there’s no problem up front even if driver and passenger are somewhat big boned. The luggage capacity of 185-litres doesn’t give owners too many options but if, like most citycar owners, your back seats are invariably unoccupied, they can cope with the boot’s overspill. The design inside follows the cute, retro themes of the exterior and feels special – a difficult thing to achieve in a car at this price point.
Based on the Lounge trim level from the everyday 500 range, the Pink special edition adds £1,500 of extra equipment for a £1,000 increase in price. It sounds like a decent deal. The extras run to a sunroof, a leather gear knob, special carpet mats and a Pink key cover to let everyone know who owns that pink car in the car park. There’s also Fiat’s Start&Stop technology which enhances the 500’s fuel economy when driving in town.
You don’t catch sight of many pink cars on the road and there may well be a good reason for that but Fiat is confident of selling all 500 versions of the 500 Pink. The car is not without precedent because, if memory serves, Nissan once rolled out a Pink special edition version of its Micra C+C cabriolet. That car also caused quite a stir in the motoring press and there was the suspicion that all the publicity may have been an end in itself. Anyway, there will be people out there who have been yearning for a pink car - there may even be 500 of them - and if that particular shade can be said to suit any modern vehicle, the Fiat 500 is it.
The point of the Stop&Start system in the 500 Pink is to lower fuel consumption and emissions, so how well does it do? On the combined cycle, there’s a 3.5mpg improvement over a standard 1.2-litre 500 taking the figure to 58.9mpg with emissions of CO2 dropping from 119g/km to 113g/km. That’s a useful amount multiplied out across a typical ownership period and the advantages are likely to be even more pronounced if you do most of your driving in congested urban areas where being stationary is par for the course.
The 500 should prove a particularly cheap car to run - and not just because of its low fuel consumption. Insurance is in a reasonable group 4 for the Pink model but there must be a question mark over the residual value of a car with such a lurid colour scheme. .
The pink car has yet to catch on in any meaningful way with UK motorists but Fiat is hoping to change that with its 500 Pink special edition. It’s not just any old pink either: the car is shocking PINK with pink accessories. Needless to say, this model is not going to be for everyone but Fiat is hoping to sell 500 of them and failing that, it should generate a whole lot of publicity for the lower key versions of its 500 citycar.
Fiat says that the 500 Pink will appeal "mainly to young women" and it’s not wrong. It could even be the perfect vehicle for ladies fed up with the man in their life borrowing their car. With a decent haul of extra equipment and a reasonable price tag, it looks decent value but the 500 Pink could be a tricky car to sell on.
Close your eyes and imagine the least masculine car you can. A vehicle that will have certain socioeconomic groups swooning but would be the very last thing the stereotypical white van man, lumberjack or Royal Marine Commando would want to be seen driving around town in. You might never have seen or heard of a Fiat 500 but there’s a very good chance you’re currently picturing that car and that it’s in Pink special edition guise.
Fiat isn’t aiming for a broad appeal with this model, offered in fixed top or convertible 500C guises. Some people will run a mile at the prospect of the cheekily retro 500 citycar with shocking pink bodywork but others will doubtless see it as all their motoring fantasies made metal. Whatever your viewpoint, it’s hard not to have an opinion on the 500 Pink. It’s a difficult car to ignore and with only 500 examples due to be sold, a key reason for its existence is to raise awareness of the models in the Fiat 500 range that don’t look like giant marshmallows.
Sitting at the bottom of the Fiat 500 engine line-up, the 1.2-litre unit is nothing to get overly excited about but the Pink’s paintwork will bring all the excitement most people can take so that may not be a problem. It’s a 1,242cc 8-valve 4-cylinder engine that produces a maximum of 69bhp at 5,500rpm and only 102Nm of torque. At least the 500 is both lightweight and used primarily for short journeys in urban areas. This means that the engine isn’t asked to work too hard and should be exposed to the open road, where its lack of punch might be more evident, only infrequently.
The 0-60mph sprint time is nothing to be ashamed of at 12.9s and is less than half a second down on the range-topping diesel engine. With a top speed of 99mph, occasional motorway jaunts are far from out of the question.
"Fiat says that the 500 Pink will appeal "mainly to young women" and it’s not wrong"
It’s pink, I think we’ve established that. Otherwise, this special edition version of the 500 is similar to the standard car. There’s a side rubbing strip with the 500 badge on each flank and the interior is in black to give those scorched retinas a well earned break.
At 1.65m wide, 1.49m high and 3.55m long, the 500 doesn’t take up a great deal of space. For reference, a MINI is 1.91m wide, 1.40m high and 3.68m long: in other words much wider, a little lower and a fair bit longer. Even Renault’s second generation Twingo, at 3.60m, won’t fit into some parking spaces the 500 will be able to squeeze into.
Despite these compact measurements, interior space is OK for a citycar. You can seat adults in the back, though they may not thank you for it, and there’s no problem up front even if driver and passenger are somewhat big boned. The luggage capacity of 185-litres doesn’t give owners too many options but if, like most citycar owners, your back seats are invariably unoccupied, they can cope with the boot’s overspill. The design inside follows the cute, retro themes of the exterior and feels special – a difficult thing to achieve in a car at this price point.
Based on the Lounge trim level from the everyday 500 range, the Pink special edition adds £1,500 of extra equipment for a £1,000 increase in price. It sounds like a decent deal. The extras run to a sunroof, a leather gear knob, special carpet mats and a Pink key cover to let everyone know who owns that pink car in the car park. There’s also Fiat’s Start&Stop technology which enhances the 500’s fuel economy when driving in town.
You don’t catch sight of many pink cars on the road and there may well be a good reason for that but Fiat is confident of selling all 500 versions of the 500 Pink. The car is not without precedent because, if memory serves, Nissan once rolled out a Pink special edition version of its Micra C+C cabriolet. That car also caused quite a stir in the motoring press and there was the suspicion that all the publicity may have been an end in itself. Anyway, there will be people out there who have been yearning for a pink car - there may even be 500 of them - and if that particular shade can be said to suit any modern vehicle, the Fiat 500 is it.
The point of the Stop&Start system in the 500 Pink is to lower fuel consumption and emissions, so how well does it do? On the combined cycle, there’s a 3.5mpg improvement over a standard 1.2-litre 500 taking the figure to 58.9mpg with emissions of CO2 dropping from 119g/km to 113g/km. That’s a useful amount multiplied out across a typical ownership period and the advantages are likely to be even more pronounced if you do most of your driving in congested urban areas where being stationary is par for the course.
The 500 should prove a particularly cheap car to run - and not just because of its low fuel consumption. Insurance is in a reasonable group 4 for the Pink model but there must be a question mark over the residual value of a car with such a lurid colour scheme. .
The pink car has yet to catch on in any meaningful way with UK motorists but Fiat is hoping to change that with its 500 Pink special edition. It’s not just any old pink either: the car is shocking PINK with pink accessories. Needless to say, this model is not going to be for everyone but Fiat is hoping to sell 500 of them and failing that, it should generate a whole lot of publicity for the lower key versions of its 500 citycar.
Fiat says that the 500 Pink will appeal "mainly to young women" and it’s not wrong. It could even be the perfect vehicle for ladies fed up with the man in their life borrowing their car. With a decent haul of extra equipment and a reasonable price tag, it looks decent value but the 500 Pink could be a tricky car to sell on.
Fiat 500 C for Cute
Fiat’s lovable 500 city car is harder to resist in 500 C cabriolet form. Steve Walker reports.
New born kittens, baby seals, a panda licking a big lollipop, little kids dressed up as teddy bears with big fluffy ears and bow ties. At this point, some readers will be feeling their stomachs turn while others will have gone all gooey and weak at the knees just from the thought of all that cuteness bundled up together. The camp that you fall into will have a lot to do with whether or not you like Fiat’s 500 C. This car is cute made metal.
How much cute can you cram into one car? Well, even the Tichy manufacturing plant in Poland where Fiat builds this convertible version of its 500 city car has a cute name. It’s tempting to imagine the facility as a Willy Wonka style operation where the cars float on rivers of golden syrup down assembly lines run by a green-skinned chorus line of the vertically challenged. A factory of fun where the foreman is a talking spoon and there’s a gingerbread man in middle management. This probably isn’t the case, although Fiat has reported an upsurge in requests for factory visits since launching the 500 C.
The driving experience will be a virtual irrelevance to lots of Fiat 500 C buyers. They’ll have already fallen in love with the car in a brochure, on a TV ad or upon seeing one in the street. Nevertheless, the car promises to be fairly adept on the road with the same basic set-up as the hard-topped 500, a chassis that’s also shared with the Fiat Panda and Ford Ka. The engine range opens with a 69bhp 1.2-litre petrol but those seeking a little more thrust will step up to the 1.4 which has 100bhp. The 1.3-litre MultiJet engine is one of the leading small diesels on the market and packs more muscle than its 75bhp might suggest.
A choice of transmissions is available, with the 500 C getting a five-speed manual gearbox as standard while presenting customers with the option of upgrading to the Dualogic robotised gearbox. Fiat’s fuel saving Start&Stop technology is also available.
"Fiat could have sold its 500 city car in large quantities on its cute retro looks alone"
It’s hard not to appreciate the lovable looks of the standard 500 city car. Borrowing its retro design themes straight from the 1950s original, it’s undeniably a model with the rare capacity to bring a smile to your face. The convertible 500 C version cranks the cute factor up a couple of notches and it also has its roots in Fiat’s past as we’re told it pays homage to the original 500 cabriolet of 1957. It’s better to think of the roof arrangement as a huge canvas sunroof rather than a full folding canopy. At the touch of a button, the entire centre section of the roof retracts into a concertinaed bundle just above the boot. It’s not the most elegant piece of engineering but the sight of car with its roof retracted adds to the retro appeal and with the roof-up, it’s tough to tell a convertible 500 from a hard-top one. The roof itself features a glass rear window and is available in a choice of colours, so buyers can personalise their car.
The simple roof arrangement also means that there’s a decent amount of room in the rear seats of the 500 C. There are some convertible cars twice the size of the little Fiat that are stingier with the legroom they lay on for passengers in the back. Delicious design details drip from the 500’s interior. It’s like a tiny pearl, especially when the ivory finish is specified. There’s a very well-judged blend of retro chic and ruthlessly modern contemporary design inside, with circular head restraints and neat 500 C badging on the Panda-sourced dashboard. Chrome-ringed vents and a fascia that can be specified in the same colour as the body are other highlights.
The roof might be simple but the specification of the 500 C looks generous on Fiat’s part. The entry-level Pop models get the electrically-operated roof, air-conditioning, remote central locking, a CD stereo with MP3 compatibility, electric door mirrors and seven airbags. That’s a lot of kit for a £12,000 convertible.
The alternative trim level is the Lounge and these models add ESP stability control, front fog lights, Bluetooth connectivity, climate control and rear parking sensors to make manoeuvring in tight spaces even easier. The Lounge comes at a premium of £1,400, however, and so looks considerably less affordable than the entry-level cars. From launch, there’s a choice of 11 exterior colours and Fiat offers buyers a huge scope of optional extras to personalise their 500 C.
Predictably, the engines powering the diminutive 500 C turn in strong fuel economy and emissions figures. The diesel in particular will be a good choice for those looking to keep running costs under control. The Multijet diesel version will average over 65mpg, with the 1.2-litre petrol unit not far behind on around 50mpg.
Fiat has also taken further steps to boost the car’s environmental credentials with its Start&Stop technology and a clever system called eco:Drive. Bundled up with the Blue&Me Bluetooth telephone system on the Lounge models, eco:Drive is a computer that monitors your driving style and offers tips on how you can improve your fuel economy.
Fiat could have sold its 500 city car in large quantities on its cute retro looks alone and the 500 C cabriolet model is cuter still. It bodes well for a car that has unashamedly set out to become as much a trendy fashion accessory as a means of getting from A to B but that’s not the best part. Even beneath the curves and the chrome, Fiat looks to have a cracking little convertible on its hands.
New born kittens, baby seals, a panda licking a big lollipop, little kids dressed up as teddy bears with big fluffy ears and bow ties. At this point, some readers will be feeling their stomachs turn while others will have gone all gooey and weak at the knees just from the thought of all that cuteness bundled up together. The camp that you fall into will have a lot to do with whether or not you like Fiat’s 500 C. This car is cute made metal.
How much cute can you cram into one car? Well, even the Tichy manufacturing plant in Poland where Fiat builds this convertible version of its 500 city car has a cute name. It’s tempting to imagine the facility as a Willy Wonka style operation where the cars float on rivers of golden syrup down assembly lines run by a green-skinned chorus line of the vertically challenged. A factory of fun where the foreman is a talking spoon and there’s a gingerbread man in middle management. This probably isn’t the case, although Fiat has reported an upsurge in requests for factory visits since launching the 500 C.
The driving experience will be a virtual irrelevance to lots of Fiat 500 C buyers. They’ll have already fallen in love with the car in a brochure, on a TV ad or upon seeing one in the street. Nevertheless, the car promises to be fairly adept on the road with the same basic set-up as the hard-topped 500, a chassis that’s also shared with the Fiat Panda and Ford Ka. The engine range opens with a 69bhp 1.2-litre petrol but those seeking a little more thrust will step up to the 1.4 which has 100bhp. The 1.3-litre MultiJet engine is one of the leading small diesels on the market and packs more muscle than its 75bhp might suggest.
A choice of transmissions is available, with the 500 C getting a five-speed manual gearbox as standard while presenting customers with the option of upgrading to the Dualogic robotised gearbox. Fiat’s fuel saving Start&Stop technology is also available.
"Fiat could have sold its 500 city car in large quantities on its cute retro looks alone"
It’s hard not to appreciate the lovable looks of the standard 500 city car. Borrowing its retro design themes straight from the 1950s original, it’s undeniably a model with the rare capacity to bring a smile to your face. The convertible 500 C version cranks the cute factor up a couple of notches and it also has its roots in Fiat’s past as we’re told it pays homage to the original 500 cabriolet of 1957. It’s better to think of the roof arrangement as a huge canvas sunroof rather than a full folding canopy. At the touch of a button, the entire centre section of the roof retracts into a concertinaed bundle just above the boot. It’s not the most elegant piece of engineering but the sight of car with its roof retracted adds to the retro appeal and with the roof-up, it’s tough to tell a convertible 500 from a hard-top one. The roof itself features a glass rear window and is available in a choice of colours, so buyers can personalise their car.
The simple roof arrangement also means that there’s a decent amount of room in the rear seats of the 500 C. There are some convertible cars twice the size of the little Fiat that are stingier with the legroom they lay on for passengers in the back. Delicious design details drip from the 500’s interior. It’s like a tiny pearl, especially when the ivory finish is specified. There’s a very well-judged blend of retro chic and ruthlessly modern contemporary design inside, with circular head restraints and neat 500 C badging on the Panda-sourced dashboard. Chrome-ringed vents and a fascia that can be specified in the same colour as the body are other highlights.
The roof might be simple but the specification of the 500 C looks generous on Fiat’s part. The entry-level Pop models get the electrically-operated roof, air-conditioning, remote central locking, a CD stereo with MP3 compatibility, electric door mirrors and seven airbags. That’s a lot of kit for a £12,000 convertible.
The alternative trim level is the Lounge and these models add ESP stability control, front fog lights, Bluetooth connectivity, climate control and rear parking sensors to make manoeuvring in tight spaces even easier. The Lounge comes at a premium of £1,400, however, and so looks considerably less affordable than the entry-level cars. From launch, there’s a choice of 11 exterior colours and Fiat offers buyers a huge scope of optional extras to personalise their 500 C.
Predictably, the engines powering the diminutive 500 C turn in strong fuel economy and emissions figures. The diesel in particular will be a good choice for those looking to keep running costs under control. The Multijet diesel version will average over 65mpg, with the 1.2-litre petrol unit not far behind on around 50mpg.
Fiat has also taken further steps to boost the car’s environmental credentials with its Start&Stop technology and a clever system called eco:Drive. Bundled up with the Blue&Me Bluetooth telephone system on the Lounge models, eco:Drive is a computer that monitors your driving style and offers tips on how you can improve your fuel economy.
Fiat could have sold its 500 city car in large quantities on its cute retro looks alone and the 500 C cabriolet model is cuter still. It bodes well for a car that has unashamedly set out to become as much a trendy fashion accessory as a means of getting from A to B but that’s not the best part. Even beneath the curves and the chrome, Fiat looks to have a cracking little convertible on its hands.
Thursday, 8 July 2010
TwinAir - Fiat reinvents the Engine
Part of Fiat’s heritage and leadership in the automotive sector is driven by the fact that Fiat has always been developing engines that revolutionised the entire automotive world providing small, efficient engines, in line with the company’s ethos for low-cost, compact and ecological cars.
An example is provided by the invention of the Common Rail, now used in all diesel cars, with which Fiat Group revolutionised the Diesel Engine.
Today, TwinAir will represents a new chapter in the car’s history and a revolution in the automotive sector; It will reshape emissions, performance and fuel consumption standards for the whole industry leading the evolution towards environmental sustainability and downsizing.
Why is it called TwinAir?
The TwinAir is a two-cylinder petrol engine that delivers the horse power of four. Combining MultiAir technology with turbo-charging, the engine will be the lowest emission petrol engine available in the worldwide automotive market.
This engine will lead the future trend towards downsizing, helping to reduce weight, engine size, fuel consumption and emissions.
Today, when the strongest trends and needs of customers are towards the attention to the environment and downsizing, TwinAir meets these demands ahead of anybody else with ground breaking technology which will change the face of the automotive industry.
Fiat 500 and TwinAir
Such an eco-technological breakthrough deserves to be introduced on the most successful car around and the natural choice is the Fiat 500, our everyday masterpiece.
Starting from September, the Fiat 500 will be equipped with a 900cc twin-cylinder turbo-charged engine delivering 85bhp combined with outstandingly low CO2 emissions of 95g/km, the best level ever for a petrol engine.
The TwinAir engine will be introduced as a new engine across the entire Fiat 500 range, together with the current 1.2, 1.4 and 1.3 MultiJet engines
The comparison results are astonishing: compared to the best selling 1.2 litre engine, TwinAir delivers a 23% improvement in power coupled with a 17% reduction in CO2 emissions.
An example is provided by the invention of the Common Rail, now used in all diesel cars, with which Fiat Group revolutionised the Diesel Engine.
Today, TwinAir will represents a new chapter in the car’s history and a revolution in the automotive sector; It will reshape emissions, performance and fuel consumption standards for the whole industry leading the evolution towards environmental sustainability and downsizing.
Why is it called TwinAir?
The TwinAir is a two-cylinder petrol engine that delivers the horse power of four. Combining MultiAir technology with turbo-charging, the engine will be the lowest emission petrol engine available in the worldwide automotive market.
This engine will lead the future trend towards downsizing, helping to reduce weight, engine size, fuel consumption and emissions.
Today, when the strongest trends and needs of customers are towards the attention to the environment and downsizing, TwinAir meets these demands ahead of anybody else with ground breaking technology which will change the face of the automotive industry.
Fiat 500 and TwinAir
Such an eco-technological breakthrough deserves to be introduced on the most successful car around and the natural choice is the Fiat 500, our everyday masterpiece.
Starting from September, the Fiat 500 will be equipped with a 900cc twin-cylinder turbo-charged engine delivering 85bhp combined with outstandingly low CO2 emissions of 95g/km, the best level ever for a petrol engine.
The TwinAir engine will be introduced as a new engine across the entire Fiat 500 range, together with the current 1.2, 1.4 and 1.3 MultiJet engines
The comparison results are astonishing: compared to the best selling 1.2 litre engine, TwinAir delivers a 23% improvement in power coupled with a 17% reduction in CO2 emissions.
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
FIAT’S 1.4 MULTIAIR TURBO IS BEST NEW ENGINE OF THE YEAR
The FPT 1.4 Turbo engine, the first Fiat power unit to incorporate revolutionary MultiAir technology, has won the prestigious Engine of the Year award in the Best New Engine of the Year category. This innovative four-cylinder engine combines MultiAir, the electro-hydraulic management of the inlet valves, with a turbocharger, setting new efficiency standards.
Developed and manufactured by FPT – Fiat Powertrain Technologies – the 1.4 MultiAir Turbo engines, with power outputs ranging from 135 to 170 bhp, now equip the Alfa Romeo MiTo and Giulietta, as well as the Fiat Punto Evo and Abarth Punto Evo, and will soon be introduced to the Fiat Bravo.
The top of the range 170 bhp version, with 124 bhp/litre, has an outstanding specific power output which, combined with peak torque of 250 Nm, guarantees sporty performance, together with record-setting fuel consumption and emissions (134 g/km of CO2 in the new Alfa Romeo Giulietta).
MultiAir technology, which has already won numerous awards, is based on direct control of the intake air, cylinder by cylinder and stroke by stroke, without a throttle valve, and reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 10%, while increasing power by 10% and improving torque by 15%. Additionally, all polluting emissions are also significantly reduced by careful monitoring of combustion. MultiAir technology is versatile, easily applicable to all petrol engines, and has the potential to be developed for diesel engines in future.
The Best New Engine of the Year award, bestowed by an international jury of 65 specialist journalists from 32 countries, was collected by Aldo Marangoni, FPT Product Engineering Vice President.
“The award is further confirmation of the Fiat Group’s acknowledged capacity for technological innovation. The Group won the prize in 2005, in the 1.0 to 1.4-litre capacity class of the International Engine of the Year, with the small but sophisticated 1.3 MultiJet, which opened a new chapter in the history of diesel engines, a field in which the Group has always been a leader, having been the first to launch innovations such as direct injection and common-rail technology on the market,” says Marangoni.“Lots of power combined with serious reductions in emissions makes this a very good engine. Then, when you look at the fuel economy, Fiat's MultiAir turbo powertrain becomes a great engine – it's easy to see why it has won Best New Engine for 2010,” says Dean Slavnich, Co-Chairman of the Awards, and editor of Engine Technology International.
Developed and manufactured by FPT – Fiat Powertrain Technologies – the 1.4 MultiAir Turbo engines, with power outputs ranging from 135 to 170 bhp, now equip the Alfa Romeo MiTo and Giulietta, as well as the Fiat Punto Evo and Abarth Punto Evo, and will soon be introduced to the Fiat Bravo.
The top of the range 170 bhp version, with 124 bhp/litre, has an outstanding specific power output which, combined with peak torque of 250 Nm, guarantees sporty performance, together with record-setting fuel consumption and emissions (134 g/km of CO2 in the new Alfa Romeo Giulietta).
MultiAir technology, which has already won numerous awards, is based on direct control of the intake air, cylinder by cylinder and stroke by stroke, without a throttle valve, and reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 10%, while increasing power by 10% and improving torque by 15%. Additionally, all polluting emissions are also significantly reduced by careful monitoring of combustion. MultiAir technology is versatile, easily applicable to all petrol engines, and has the potential to be developed for diesel engines in future.
The Best New Engine of the Year award, bestowed by an international jury of 65 specialist journalists from 32 countries, was collected by Aldo Marangoni, FPT Product Engineering Vice President.
“The award is further confirmation of the Fiat Group’s acknowledged capacity for technological innovation. The Group won the prize in 2005, in the 1.0 to 1.4-litre capacity class of the International Engine of the Year, with the small but sophisticated 1.3 MultiJet, which opened a new chapter in the history of diesel engines, a field in which the Group has always been a leader, having been the first to launch innovations such as direct injection and common-rail technology on the market,” says Marangoni.“Lots of power combined with serious reductions in emissions makes this a very good engine. Then, when you look at the fuel economy, Fiat's MultiAir turbo powertrain becomes a great engine – it's easy to see why it has won Best New Engine for 2010,” says Dean Slavnich, Co-Chairman of the Awards, and editor of Engine Technology International.
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