Category: Fiat

Fiat had featured a twin-cylinder engine in the Panda Aria concept car at the Frankfurt Motor show last year, but information remained scarce on what could be the smallest engine in Europe.

First of all, there will be two engines instead of one as it was believed. In addition to the 0.9-litre unit, Fiat will also build a tiny 0.7-litre engine. The two engines will be turbocharged and will feature the innovative MultiAir technology, which has been under development by Fiat Powertrain for some years.The MultiAir system uses an electro-hydraulic system to actuate the valves and can provide full control over valve lift and timing. As a result, the two engines have an impressive power output. The 0.7-litre petrol unit pumps out 81bhp, which means a power/litre ratio of 116bhp/l in other words.

The torque is also in the same vein with a 92lb/ft at 3000rpm. The engine promises to be smooth to run with a torque of 67lb/ft available from 2000rpm. The 0.9 litre unit will have an power output of 110bhp and a torque of 132lb/ft. In addition to the power increase, the MultiAir technology also reduces consumption and emissions. A 90bhp 0.9-litre version allows a 50mpg range while reducong CO2 emissions by 50% compared to the current four cylinder 1.2-litre petrol unit seen in small Fiat. The two engines will comply with Euro 5 and Euro 6 emissions requirements.

The twin-cylinder unit will be available on the Fiat Panda and 500, Grande Punto and Idea, and even the compact Bravo model.

The car you see here is the Fiat 500 Abarth which will likely be one of the hottest small car of 2008. The 500 Abarth will feature bold design and powerful engines and will revive the famous former 500 Abarth.

While Fiat has been shy with the Grand Punto Abarth, it will go wild with the Abarth like it did with the normal model. The main changes will be a huge front bumper with large air intakes, a rear fender and dual exhaust pipes. On the pictures, the rear bumper seems to look like the normal version’s but expect a bold design too like the front fascia.

The baby Abarth will be powered by a 1.4-litre petrol engine which will has an output of 155bhp. If you think it will just enough to move the announced 1088kg of the car, it is rumoured that a 180bhp version will be available as an option. If true, the 500 Abarth might become the hottest small car of the market and a nightmare for the 197bhp Clio Renaultsport.

The 500 Abarth will be officially unveiled at the next Geneva Motor Show.

Source: autoblog.it

It was widely known that the Italian carmaker was actively working on a new downsized twin-cylinder engine. Fiat has unveiled the Panda Aria concept car, which is equipped with the new 0.9 litre petrol engine.

German carmakers already used the downsizing concept by replacing a 2 litres engine with a turbocharged 1.4 litres unit. But Fiat is the first carmaker to apply the concept to a small engine. The engineers transformed a conventional 4-cylinder engine into a 2-cylinder turbocharged engine, which has an output of 80 bhp. For the concept car, Fiat enabled the engine to operate with a mixture of methane (70%) and hydrogen (30%). In real life, the small engine will be available with a choice of 65 bhp aspirated and 105 bhp turbocharged. The new engine is smaller (20%) and lighter (25%) than a a 4 cylinder engine with the same power output. It is coupled with a Stop&Start device that turns the engine off temporarily and starts it again, when the engine is idling and the vehicle is stationary.

On the outside, the traditional panels are replaced by semi-transparent eco-resin panels on which Fiat applied a strange paint dubbed “totouch”. On the inside, Fiat upholstered the interior with a mix of natural fibres, cotton and linen, woven coconut and biodegradable elements.

Fiat has released the first two official pictures of the naughtiest Grande Punto: the Abarth SS prototype.

Based on the Grande Punto Abarth unveiled at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show, the SS version is mainly a booster kit that increases the power by 30 bhp in order to reach 180 bhp. If the basic Abarth version can top 130 mph and runs the 0-60mph in 8.2 s, Fiat has not released any information regarding the performance of the SS kit.

The kit also includes some visual elements just like the adhesives with the ‘essesse’ logo or a chequered flag. The handling has also been improved according to the press release with particular low stance and a more powerful braking system.

In April Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne said the 500’s production had already been sold for the years 2007 and 2008. That amounts to more than 180,000 cars. With demand much higher than expected, Fiat has been forced to increase production for both years.

The situation is extremely urgent. In less than a month, Fiat sold the 2007 production in only two countries. Fiat received 51,000 orders from Italy and 6,000 from France. In France, the 6,000 cars were sold in less than one week. Fiat will increase the production from 58,000 to 65,000-67,000 units. The planned production figure for 2008 will jump from 120,000 to 140,000 vehicles.

Fiat plans to expand its Polish factory based in Tychy. The Italian carmaker has limited options. It already produces the Panda in Tychy and will start producing the next Ford Ka next autumn. A further complication is that this production increase may encourage Polish employees to go on strike to push for higher pay.

An unknown and very small Chinese carmaker, Zhong Tai, surprised everybody last week by declaring that it will produce the Lancia Lybra. The company has acquired the manufacturing tools and the intellectual property rights for the Lancia from Fiat. The Chinese Lybra will enable Zhong Tai to produce 50,000 car this year compared to 11,000 last year. Up until now the Chinese carmaker has been producing a Daihatsu Terios clone.

The Lancia Lybra was a saloon sold by Lancia between 1999 and 2006. Despite some good qualities and a magical five-cylinder engine, the car never met sales expectations and in a sense symbolises the Lancia’s collapse.

What does this mean for Fiat? The Italian carmaker is struggling with its joint venture Nanjing Fiat. Despite the announcement of a £196 million/€290 million/$400 million investment in June, Fiat is also involved in negotiations with other Chinese carmakers. According to rumours, Fiat has signed a deal with Chery to produce engines. Although the latter already produces Alfa Romeo cars, it has no further capacity to take on further Fiat production. By selling the unsuccessful Lybra to Zhong Tai, Fiat can make some money from the car and potentially develop a partnership with a smaller partner, who will perhaps be easier to deal with than Nanjing.

Luca de Meo, Fiat Brand CEO, revealed last week at the international launch of the new Fiat 500 that the Italian carmaker will unveil an Abarth variant at the next Tokyo motor show. Unfortunately he did not give more details concerning the engine.

The Punto Abarth has a turbocharged 1.4 litre that produces 120 hp and 150 hp. It is likely that the 500 Abarth will inherit the same engine but the power is still unknown. Certain documents which were leaked during the press conference mentioned 135 hp. Insiders have also hinted at power as high as 200 hp.

As many other companies, Fiat left Argentina in 2002 due to the economic crisis. After 5 years the Italian carmaker is back but this time it will share the risks with the Indian giant Tata. Together they will invest $80,000,000 to upgrade the factory Fiat owns there. They plan to build 25,000 Tata pick ups each year that will be sold under the Fiat label in Central America, South America and maybe in Europe. In January 2008, the factory will also start to produce the Fiat Sienna sedan again.

This is not the first common project between both carmakers. Indeed they signed an agreement to set up a joint-venture in India in last July. The joint-venture will build 100,000 cars and 250,000 engines each year in its factory located in north India. The successful Fiat Grande Punto will be one of the Fiat assembled and sold in India.