The Fiat PandaPanda Climbing, the new Panda based on 4x4 model, equipped with the 1.2 litre bipower engine, powered by petrol or methane was also shown in Rome. The Italian strategy is to damp down the impact of cars on the environment in 2008, a year that, according to the brand manager Luca De Meo will allow the company to grow stronger thanks to the success of its new models. Fiat showed off its environmentally-conscious production models alongside forward looking concepts at the fifth edition of H2Roma 2007 the capital city's showcase open air 'green' car show.

After the triumph of the new 500 on the market, Fiat in facing environmental issues. The Turin group has presented at H2Roma 2007 (6-7 November) many innovations for the public to admire in preview form in the Piazza del Popolo location was well as trying out on an urban circuit amongst the most beautiful views of Rome.

The Fiat stand hosted several prototypes recently presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The Panda Aria for example, is an eco-friendly concept car entirely produced with biomaterials like cocco fibre, and cotton material for the interiors, and powered by a bi-cylinder 900cc engine with 69 g/km of CO2 emissions that can also consume a mix of methane and hydrogen. The PandaPanda Climbing, the new Panda based on 4x4 model, equipped with the 1.2 litre bipower engine, powered by petrol or methane was also shown in Rome.

Natural gas is a key strategy for Fiat in terms of sustainable mobility: for the test drive in Piazza del Popolo the Doblò Cargo “Natural Power” was available to the public. No surprise, because the Italian car manufacturer has confirmed itself as world leader when it comes to commercial vehicles. But it doesn’t end here: on board of Hyper Panda the passenger can experience hydrogen power.

Panda Aria

The Italian strategy is to damp down the impact of cars on the environment in 2008, a year that, according to the brand manager Luca De Meo will allow the company to grow stronger thanks to the success of its new models. Getting back to the motor show stands and looking closely at Panda Aria you can see it is equipped with a new two cylinder 900cc 80hp turbo engine (SGE) which is powered either by petrol or by a 30% mixture of methane and hydrogen. And that entails no significant modifications to the engine structure or to the tank either.

Inside and outside the materials are environmentally compatible, natural or recycled and also biodegradable: for instance the interior is upholstered with natural fibres (cotton and linen) as well as woven coconut fibre and biogradable elements. Among the technological improvements we cannot fail to appreciate a low energy consumption air conditioner that contributes to the dramatic 69g/km cut of CO2 missions also thanks to newly tested and environmentally friendly Pirelli tyres, whose mixture ensures lower resistance to rolling.

Eco Drive

The cooperation with Microsoft has enabled to design an innovative real-time computer system able to monitor the car’s fuel consumption and emissions. Thanks to some sensors, the software picks the car information and saves it in a pen drive, using a USB port of the Blue&Me working system, developed by Fiat together with the American computer giant. The pen-drive can then be used at home to learn about the performance of the car in terms of fuel consumption and emissions as well as to get useful advices on the driving style in order to keep down pollution and reduce waste. Eco Drive will be available on the FIAT cars equipped with the Blue&Me system as from 2008.

H2Roma 2007 - Record Edition

Over 10,000 contacts, 250 test drives, 120 press corps, 50 international speakers, more than 1,500 students from 25 high and technical schools of the capital; nine world car groups and thirteen brands, four national previews and a world one; in addition to that the pre-release of “Earth”, a documentary film which will be released in Italy in April 2008. One hundred and fifty guests to the ‘Green Gala’ at Palazzo Taverna. These are the figures of the sixth H2Roma 2007 edition, the capital’s open air car show that, if compared with the past editions, has never been so rich in events.

On November 6-7 Piazza del Popolo and the Campidoglio Protomoteca Hall became the crossroads of the future for the car and car mobility. Besides the latest developments exhibited by the world car leaders, great interest was shown for the ‘Mobidays’ Conference, third European sustainable mobility edition, during which experts from DOE, the USA energy department, the European Investment Bank, the Japanese National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, London Imperial College and Rome ‘La Sapienza’ University outlined the near future of mobility.

The strategies to reduce the vehicle environmental impact have been the focus of the debate at Campidoglio while the stars at Piazza del Popolo have been the zero-emission prototypes, the biofuel cars as well as the hybrid and hydrogen ones. ”To see but also to test drive in order to understand. This is one of the H2Roma 2007 slogans that has been over and over underlined and that we will keep on emphasizing in order to get research and industry, environmental commitment and market to move on the same track”, remarks Fabio Orecchini, head of H2Roma scientific board. The event was also carried out thanks to a very careful and keen organization supervised by Conceptage, a company concerned with the communication of innovation through events. “Putting up an open air car show at Piazza del Popolo has been a big challenge” said Gabriele Bordon, in charge with the H2Roma project. However both the operators in the sector and the public have confirmed that it is a key to success.