 | Among the prizes awarded by “Die Besten Autos 2011” – a competition organised by the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport with the participation of its readers, who vote for winners in different categories – Fiat’s TwinAir engine gained an extremely prestigious accolade, the prize named after Paul Pietsch (former driver, reporter and publisher) for technological development.Aldo Marangoni, Product Engineering Vice President at Fiat Powertrain collected the prize during an event held at Stuttgart.TwinAir is an innovative engine developed by Fiat Powertrain. It made its début on the iconic mini, the Fiat 500, and plays an active part in safeguarding the environment thanks to its low fuel consumption and emissions. This means translates into a significant achievement for Fiat: being the brand with the lowest CO2 levels overall among full liner manufacturers (123.5 g/km, according to the latest data from Jato Dynamics) while still offering great driving satisfaction.The pocket-sized 875 cm3 petrol unit in fact delivers 85 hp (63 kW) with the aid of its turbo and uses 4.1 litres of fuel per one hundred kilometres, emitting just 95 grams of CO2 for every kilometre.Three factors in particular enable the TwinAir to achieve this drastic reduction in fuel consumption and emissions while assuring great driving satisfaction.Firstly, its structure with just two cylinders, the quintessence of the downsizing philosophy, which makes it possible to keep cylinder capacity low and reduce internal friction. Secondly, the innovative MultiAir hydraulic valve management system developed by Fiat Powertrain, which uses a fully variable intake valve lift and timing system in place of a conventional camshaft.Thirdly and finally, the use of a turbocharger that guarantees power and torque values on a par with those of the biggest four cylinder engines.
Turin, 28 January 2011
Source: Fiat Group Automobiles - Newsletter | |