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 Powertrain's
TwinAir engine gained a 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 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 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. 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.
