The Fiat
Panda Natural Power has been selected as the Most
eco-friendly car in Switzerland in 2013, beating the
other nine contenders, including hybrid and electric
versions. Sponsored by the magazine 'Schweizer
Illustrierte', the prestigious title was conferred
yesterday during the formal ceremony at the Umweltarena,
Spreitenbach, the leading Swiss centre for environmental
technology.
The new 80 HP Panda TwinAir Turbo Natural Power is the
first car in the world to be fitted with a lively, small
methane/petrol-fuelled two-cylinder engine with
turbocharger. It has a high specific power rating and
high torque delivery, to combine reduced consumption and
fun at the wheel.
Thanks to the new Panda's
features - wider track and torsion beam rear suspension
with more rolling rigidity specifically designed for the
methane version - the handling and comfort of the Panda
Natural Power is a marked improvement on the previous
generation, making the new car even safer and more
pleasant to drive.
Available in 4 or 5-seater versions and in the Pop,
Easy, Lounge and Trekking trim levels, the new 80 HP
Fiat Panda 0.9 TwinAir Turbo Natural Power ensures
reduced CO2 levels (86 g/km) and limited consumption
(3.1 kg/100 km in the combined type-approval cycle) when
running on methane. It should be noted that this
vehicle's emissions are an absolute record for Fiat
Group cars and is also one of the lowest on the entire
market.
Range is also excellent, an increase of approximately
10% compared to the Panda Classic 1.4 Natural Power,
despite 30% better performance. The arrangement of the
two methane tanks under the car's floor panel also
allows the luggage compartment capacity to remain the
same as on the petrol and diesel versions.
Last but not least, in
addition to having access to town centres with
environmental traffic restrictions, the new
methane-fuelled Panda can use underground car parks and
travel on ferries.
It should be noted that the Panda TwinAir Turbo Natural
Power - like all Fiat methane or LPG-fuelled cars - is
original equipment (OEM) that is, factory manufactured,
guaranteed by Fiat itself and marketed through the
brand's normal dealership network. In this way,
customers can be sure that safety standards are complied
with and that quality and reliability are paramount, in
addition to enjoying lower running costs and the
implementation of the most advanced technologies in this
field.
The Panda TwinAir Turbo Natural Power extends an
"ecological" range which is unique in Europe and which
has certainly contributed significantly to the records
acknowledged in the latest research by JATO, world
leader in automotive consultancy and research.
For the fifth year
running, Fiat is the brand with the lowest level of CO2
emissions of cars sold in Europe in 2011, with an
average value of 118.2 g/km (4.9 g/km less than the 2010
average). That's without mentioning the over 500,000
cars and commercial vehicles which were sold from 1997
up to today in the Natural Power range.
