The
most important model on Fiat's school-themed
stand is the restyled Grande Punto which is now
to be known as the Punto Evo following a
comprehensive makeover and, along with the Alfa
MiTo, it features MultiAir on the technology's
debut.
The
arrival of the Punto facelift, exactly four
years after the Grande Punto made its debut and,
according to data released in Frankfurt this
week by JATO Dynamics will build on the outgoing
models successes amongst the best-sellers in
Europe. The outgoing model is still achieving
sales and had a very rosy August, with 16,458
units sold putting it up a massive 45.7 percent
on the same month last year and it means that
after the first eight months of the year it has
218,214 sales which is up 5.3 percent on the
207,244 units it achieved during the same period
in 2008. The Grande Punto has held up well
though as for the year-to-date it is well ahead
of the Renault Clio (-23.0 percent), Peugeot 207
(-17.8 percent), Opel Corsa (-9.6 percent) and
Skoda Fabia (+2.5 percent), with only the new
Ford Fiesta (+36.9 percent) ahead of it.
The
new Fiat Punto Evo aims to repeat the success of its
predecessor and become the new pacesetter for
innovation, safety and style, thanks to its many
innovative features. The epithet “Evo”
identifies a level of car design that is capable
of satisfying even the most demanding customers
in terms of technology, driving pleasure and
respect for the environment.
The Punto Evo
expresses its technical excellence first and foremost
through a wide choice of Euro 5 engines, including a 1.3
second generation Multijet diesel and a 1.4 petrol engine
with the revolutionary MultiAir technology developed by Fiat
Powertrain Technologies and eventually to be incorporated in
all Fiat Group engines. Fiat’s innovative and conventional
powerplants are also joined by dual-fuel methane and petrol
units to create the most complete and ecological range of
engines in the segment. With reduced consumption and
emissions in mind, the new Punto Evo also offers Start&Stop,
the system that switches off and restarts the engine in
stop-and-go traffic. Start&Stop is being introduced as
standard on all Euro5 petrol and diesel engines. Another
system making its first appearance on the Punto Evo is
“Blue&Me–TomTom”, the new portable satellite navigation unit
that lets you manage telephone, navigation and information
functions on a practical colour touch-screen.
In the area of
safety, the Punto Evo sets new standards thanks to 7
airbags, including a driver knee airbag. The Punto Evo is
one of very few cars in its segment with a driver knee
airbag fitted as standard on all versions. Other innovative
safety systems are also available, including Hill-Holder to
help with hill starts, adaptive 'cornering' front fog lights
that switch on automatically with dipped headlights
according to the angle of steering, and Fiat’s tried and
tested ABS, EBD (Electronic Brake force Distribution) and
ESP (Electronic Stability Program) systems.
Finally, the new
Punto Evo is even more attractive thanks to the work of
Fiat’s Centro Stile. The interiors (fascia, seats and
instrumentation) have been completely renewed to become even
more prestigious and elegant, and the outside has been given
a thoroughly restyled look too. The Fiat Punto Evo goes on
sale in the second half of October with the precise
objective of consolidating its role as one of Europe’s
market leaders in the highly important compact segment.
Technical innovation
The Punto Evo
expresses its technical excellence first and foremost
through a wide choice of engines Euro 5, including petrol
units equipped with the revolutionary MultiAir system and
second generation Multijet diesels. Developed and
patented by FPT – Fiat Powertrain Technologies – MultiAir
technology will gradually be adopted by all engines fitted
to Fiat Group cars. The heart of MultiAir is a new
electrohydraulic valve management system that reduces fuel
consumption by controlling air directly via the inlet valves
(without using the throttle). MultiAir reduces emissions
(thanks to improved combustion control) and also improves
performance by boosting both power and torque.
Similar results
have been achieved in diesel versions thanks to the adoption
of second generation Multijet units across the range. These
engines incorporate new common rail injectors that, thanks
to a balanced hydraulic servo-valve, control the quantity of
fuel injected into the combustion chamber with improved
precision, and in a faster and more flexible sequence than
in the past. The choice of engines available for the Punto
Evo is the most complete and ecological in this market
segment, and even includes two alternative fuel engines, a
methane and an LPG unit.
The new Punto
Evo is even equipped with the latest version of the Blue&Me
system. “Blue&Me–TomTom” is a fully integrated infotainment
system that lets you manage telephone, navigation and
information functions on a practical colour touch-screen.
The system is the result of a partnership between Fiat Group
Automobiles and TomTom, European leader in portable
navigation systems, and integrates with the car’s other
systems thanks to the Blue&Me system developed in
conjunction with Magneti Marelli. The new system also
incorporates “eco:Drive Info” for real time information on
your driving style and useful suggestions for reducing
environmental impact and optimising consumption by changing
gear and using the accelerator to suit the nature of the
route.
Respect for the environment
At Fiat,
innovation means greater respect for the environment too. In
fact, the environment is one of the main issues driving
product development, and ensures that the Fiat range is the
greenest in Europe. The Punto Evo is no exception to this
rule. The new MultiAir engines prove the point. Compared to
a conventional petrol engine of the same size, a MultiAir
engine develops more power (up to 10%) and torque (up to
15%), while consuming significantly less (up to 10%) and
emitting less CO2 (up to 10%), less particulates (up to 40%)
and less NOx (up to 60%).
In the same way
the second generation of Multijet diesel engines also offers
more accurate combustion, with benefits for consumption,
emissions, NVH and drivability. This has been achieved
through a new common rail injector that modulates fuel
injection into the combustion chamber and gives, for the
Euro 5 engines, an improvement of around 2% in consumption
and CO2 emissions on the homologation cycle, and a reduction
in NOx emissions of up to 30%. Still with
reduced consumption and emissions in mind, the new Punto Evo
will also offer Start&Stop, the system that switches off the
engine when you stop and restarts it for you to move off
again (at traffic lights for example). Start&Stop will be
standard on all Euro5 petrol and diesel engines.
The
methane-fuelled engine is not only the most ecological dual
fuel engine in segment B, producing only 115 g/km of CO2,
but is also the most economical thanks to record running
costs of under 4 Euros per 100 km. Among other advantages,
methane-fuelled engines benefit from the highest government
incentives in Italy: 5,000 Euros if combined with a
contribution for scrapping your old car. Then there is the
LPG-fuelled version, developed using Fiat’s longstanding
experience in alternative fuels to respond to the
extraordinary growth seen in this market. The Punto Evo GPL
boasts record autonomy of 1,500 km in the extra-urban cycle,
and running costs up to 50% lower than a petrol equivalent.
Safety
The Punto Evo is
designed and built to achieve the highest levels of safety.
The model boasts a large number of safety systems (standard
or optional depending on market and version) starting from
those dedicated to passive safety: 2 front airbags, 2 front
side airbags, 2 window bags and a driver knee airbag (the
Punto Evo is one of the few cars in this segment on which
this device is standard on all versions). The Punto Evo is
also one of the few cars in its class equipped with adaptive
'cornering' front fog lights that switch on automatically
with dipped headlights according to the angle of steering.
And don’t forget that the new Punto Evo also guarantees
constant and reliable road holding thanks to electronic
dynamic control systems for braking and steering. The ABS
system that is available across the complete engine range
incorporates EBD (Electronic Brake force Distribution), ESP
(Electronic Stability Program) and Hill-holder to help with
hill-starts.
Style and comfort
The Punto Evo is
more stunning than ever thanks to the work of Fiat’s Centro
Stile. In particular, the interiors of the new model have
been completely redesigned to represent the most evolved
expression of Italian style, with top quality materials and
superb attention to detail. The result is a bright and
elegant cabin with completely renewed fascia, seats, storage
compartments and instrumentation. On the outside, both the
front and the rear have been thoroughly restyled, as shown
by the attractive lines of the new bumpers and the
incorporation of innovative and original headlights and
taillights. The latest design has also “stretched” the car
to a total length of 406 centimetres, so that its winning
characteristics of driver and passenger comfort remain
unchanged. The other external dimensions remain the same,
with a width of 169 cm, a height of 149 cm and a wheelbase
of 251 cm.
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