Fiat wins Technobest award
For the second year running, Fiat Powertrain Technologies, the engine and transmission development and production division of the Fiat Group, has been awarded the prestigious international Technobest prize, with the 2010 honour going to the new Fiat TwinAir twin-cylinder engine, following last year’s award for MultiAir technology.
The Technobest 2010 prize was awarded by the international, independent Autobest jury made up of 15 specialist journalists from a number of countries whose populations together make up 300 million people: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Turkey and Ukraine.
Autobest was founded in 2000, and in the Automotive sector is considered among Europe’s most important automobile juries.
When it communicated the prize, the Autobest jury acknowledged the absolute technological innovation of the new TwinAir, which by taking the concept of downsizing to an extreme, thanks to innovative technology of electro-hydraulic control of the engine inlet valves, (MultiAir), has made it possible to achieve outstanding efficiency and minimal consumption.
The 85 hp turbo version of the new family of TwinAir engines made its official debut at this year’s Geneva International Motor Show. Its distinctive features are its compact size and cutting edge technology, which enables the engine to set new efficiency standards, with consumption that is the lowest in its class, confirming the Fiat Group’s leadership in this sector.
The TwinAir boasts a number of particularly sophisticated technological features, normally only found in higher engine classes. Two examples are the electro-hydraulic control of the inlet valves, (MultiAir), which is installed on all TwinAir engines, and the timing chain which drastically cuts engine running costs because it does not need any maintenance. A balancing countershaft also guarantees that vibrational comfort is maintained in all operating conditions.
Depending on the version (normally aspirated, turbocharged and bi-fuel CNG), the TwinAir can deliver from 65 to 105 bhp. The top-of-the-range versions in particular, stand out for their excellent specific power and torque figures, delivered with a cylinder capacity of just 875 cc.
Because of its extremely small size, the new TwinAir engine is ideally suited to being coupled with an electric engine, producing a hybrid propulsion unit that is particularly suitable for use in town. It maximises the advantages of hybrid propulsion by making it possible to store and recover the energy normally dissipated during frequent deceleration and braking.
The 85bhp TwinAir engine now becoming available in the new Fiat 500, produces CO2 emissions of just 92 g/km with the version with MTA Dualogic gearbox, the lowest offered today in the petrol engine market.
The 2010 Technobest Prize is further confirmation of the attention that the Fiat Group and Fiat Powertrain Technologies focus on respect for the environment, and their consequent and continuous commitment to the reduction of polluting emissions.
Fiat Automobiles has again demonstrated its environmental credentials after registering the lowest average CO2 emissions for cars sold in Europe in the first half of 2010. The figure of 123.5 g/km was corroborated by leading automotive adviser, JATO, and is one of a succession of landmark results dating back to 2007.
Fiat Group Automobiles also remains in first place in the classification by company, with a value of 126.2 g/km, which underlines yet again its technological leadership in terms of environmental sustainability.