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Fiat has unveiled the Panda Aria concept car
By Yoann Besnard on 6 September 2007 | 
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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.
Comments
Posted by: San | Jan 11, 2008 4:29:28 AM
I'm waiting for the new Seicento Sporting, a mini turbo engine sounds perfect for it :)
