Fiat Group is participating in the 2nd World Fair of Natural Gas and Hydrogen Vehicles in Turin exhibiting natural gas powered models from the Fiat, Fiat Professional and Iveco product ranges, as well as Fiat Powertrain Technologies’ engines.

Fiat Group is participating in the 2nd World Fair of Natural Gas and Hydrogen Vehicles which is being held at Lingotto Fiere, Turin. It opened yesterday and closes on Saturday.

Fiat is also a “gold sponsor” of the event. With this sponsorship, the Group reaffirms its commitment to sustainable mobility, contributing to the spread of a natural gas culture and presenting the most environmentally-friendly solutions it currently offers to its customers.

World leader in the field of natural gas cars and light commercial vehicles, the Group is exhibiting several natural gas powered models from the Fiat, Fiat Professional and Iveco product ranges, as well as Fiat Powertrain Technologies’ dual-powered engines which can run on either petrol or natural gas. At its headquarters in Orbassano, Centro Ricerche Fiat will open its “Gallery of Innovations" to attendees at the fair, giving them a tour of the most advanced technological solutions for more ecological, safe and comfortable vehicles.

Fiat believes that natural gas engines – the cleanest fuel available – are currently the most suitable and readily-available technology for solving pollution problems in urban areas in addition to guaranteeing significant cost savings. The ecological solutions presented at the World Fair in Turin represent concrete evidence of Fiat Group's commitment to contributing to sustainable and accessible mobility in all vehicle categories: from compact city cars to vehicles for urban and professional use and commercial vehicles.

Products on show

The Fiat brand will exhibit its latest addition to its Natural Power line, the Panda Panda, which has received almost 70,000 orders since its launch. This vehicle reaffirms Fiat’s leadership in CNG vehicles and its continuous commitment to finding new solutions that meet customer requirements (spaciousness, extended fuel range and maximum safety) while at the same time respecting the environment. When running on natural gas, the Panda Panda has CO2 emissions of 113g/km (combined cycle). Intelligent, practical, fun and ecological: these are the distinguishing features of this low environmental impact vehicle equipped with a natural gas/petrol dual power 1.2 litre 52 hp engine.

Panda Panda, which is also available in the Climbing and Van versions, has gone beyond the traditional compromises of natural gas vehicles. Using the floorpan of the 4x4 version – which houses two natural gas tanks with a total capacity of 72 litres (12 kg) – Panda Panda is just as roomy and comfortable as the standard version of the car and has every bit as much storage space. Petrol capacity is the same as for the petrol-only version (30 litres), ensuring peace of mind even when travelling in areas where there are limited numbers of natural gas distributors (over 700 km running on natural gas and petrol).

Fiat’s Natural Power line meets the mobility requirements of a wide range of users from tradesmen, to small and medium-sized businesses to the public transport sector. Representing the extensive range of natural gas powered light commercial vehicles offered by Fiat Professional will be the Doblò Cargo, a versatile model that was named “International Van of the Year 2006” by an international panel of journalists covering the light commercial vehicle sector from 19 European countries. Equipped with a petrol/natural gas dual power system, the Doblò Cargo Natural Power has a 1.6-litre, 16-valve engine (Euro 4) that generates 92 hp and 130 Nm torque when running on natural gas and 103 hp and 145 Nm torque when running on petrol.

The natural gas tank consists of three natural gas cylinders (200 nominal bars of pressure at 15°C) positioned under the floorpan to enable full use of the cargo space. This engine is available in three different versions (Doblò Cargo with 3.2m³ cargo capacity, the high roof Doblò Cargo with 3.8m3 capacity, and the long wheel base Doblò Cargo Maxi with 4m³ capacity) with net payload of 700kg, including driver. The total capacity of the gas cylinders is 111 litres (equivalent to 18 kg), guaranteeing a range of 300 km, plus an additional ~330 km when running on petrol (30 litre tank) using the combined cycle.

Doblò Cargo Natural Power ensures low consumption (8.8m3/100km equal to 5.7kg/100km in the combined cycle) and minimum emissions (157g of CO2 over 100 km) when running on natural gas. These emissions levels mean the vehicle can even be driven in areas subject to pollution-related traffic restrictions.

The focus on sustainable mobility is also a fundamental part of Iveco’s corporate strategy. The Irisbus Citelis CNG will be exhibited outside the exhibition pavilion while the Stralis CNG and the Daily Citis CNG will be present on the stand. Iveco is European leader in natural gas powered commercial vehicles and it believes that natural gas is a valid solution to responsibly address the requirements of commercial transport, which is crucial for economic development and whose environmental impact can be optimised through the use of state-of-the-art technologies.