The Fiat Panda Aria concept car marks the return of the twin-cylinder engine to cars, something which Fiat thinks is the next step to reducing fuel consumption and improving emissions. For the longest time, the smallest of cars like the K-cars of Japan have been using 3-cylinder inline engines. Fiat’s new SGE 900cc Turbo twin-cylinder engine knocks one off the cylinder count.
Fiat Powertrain Technologies decided to downsize from a conventional 4-cylinder engine to a 2-cylinder turbocharged engine. The engine incorporates Fiat’s Multiair electronic inlet valve control system (fancy word for throttle-less intake), turbocharging, and a Stop and Start device to reduce fuel consumption during heavy traffic. Two versions of the engine are available, with a third one under development.
The first variant is a 80 horsepower version that uses a petrol-methane fuel supply system. It runs on a mixture of 70% methane and 30% hydrogen. Then you have the Mono Fuel petrol-only version which puts out 105 horsepower. The third one currently being developed is a normally aspirated version making 65 horsepower.
The engine is 20% lighter and takes up 25% less space than a 4-cylinder engine that makes a similiar power output.
Other than the engine, the Fiat Panda Aria has a few other interesting features. The interior is upholstered with natural fibres, woven coconut fibre and biodegradable elements, while the exterior panelling is made of semi-transparent eco-resin and the structure is treated with opaque ‘totouch’ paint. Even the tyres are Pirelli’s experimental ultra-green tyres which use new compounds and new aromatic oil-free textile weaves.
One more rear shot after the jump.
After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history. An avid electronic gadget aficionado as well as big-time coffee lover, he's also the executive producer of the Driven motoring TV programme.
‘Green Car’ in Malaysia normally cost a bomb to own one. Hopefully this coming Friday, gov will give the nation a more ‘environment friendly’ budget 2008. Somemore i think our country diesel supply not ‘compatible’ to this high tech engine.
design is cute, but I don’t know if the ‘eco-green’ stuff will last long in our country.. since most of it are biodegradable.
haha.. a self decomposing car. In colder countries where it is less humid, the car probably works.
The 2 cylinder engine design interests me because it is design to start easily and provide torque at low rev.
will be way…. underpower.
szw,
what makes you think that it will be way underpowered? 8 cylinder cars of the past cant even compete with some 4 cylinder cars these days. so there is no basis for what you said. it is still by all accounts a city car with a different purpose. you should be looking for power at other places.
when they said bio-degradable, it doesnt mean the car will start to biodegrade when you park it outdoors. It probably means that some components can be thrown into landfill safely. % of Recyclability and disposability infrastructure is starting to become a big issue and may become law in the near future for new cars.
anways. coconut fibres in car seats is nothing new. It used to be the standard for cars of the past.
turbo + proton savvy, anyone?
people now could start thinking of how to produce a more reliable turbo for patrol engine (since advantage of power extract is good), apart from material, what effect the reliability of the turbo is heat, probally the turbo unit need fins and and cold air to blow around for fast heat dessipation it could elongate the life span of the turbo , quite similarly cold air to cool the clyinder block of the air cooled vw old beetle, of course space is crucial ,but theres always someone who can do it,
……and turbo just be a common place in just at any engine,
at a quick glance, the rear reminds me of viva’s rear..and the front reminds me of savvy.
very Peroduaish…
Apa ini, kutuk my kerala clan ka…….???
Fiat Panda Paria, Fiat Parianda, Fiat Panda Ria, Fiat Pandak Ahmad………
Sorry Bros, im off to Germany this weekend for the test drive……..hehehe……..
It seems more and more concept cars are being made with eco-friendliness and low fuel consumption in mind. A very good concept indeed.
Conspiciously missing, is the amount of torque the thing can ganarate XD. What would be better imo is to turn this into a plug in hybrid.
Imagine that small car with an electric motor. That alone would solve the low torque problem. The ability to plug in would mean that unless you’re travelling out of state (plug in is good for 40miles on a Prius, imagine a compact), you’d likely never have to run the petrol engine. And when you do, you have a nice low troque but high horsepower engine thats perfect for cruising while recharging battries.
look like atos lah this car name panda mesti guna pucuk buluh untuk jadi minyak hahahahahahha for pegi pasar ok lah
Don’t like the styling, engine is interesting though.
very perodua-ish?? alamak.. this car has been around way before the sirion existed. its one of the better italian/fiat cars.
i guess even with all the watered down malaysianized UK mags, alot still not sure what a fiat Panda represents.
hmmmmppphh
the engine is rumoured to be the 500′s powerplant in the future too,..maybe launch same time as the abarth? just like the abarth grande.
off topic a little, but since the environment is one of the related subjects, i heard that the A1 GP , 07/08 season starting end of this month, all cars will be running on bio-ethanol fuel..
bio ethanol fuel ayoooo why they don’t use our kelapa sawit bio diesel better what……. if palm oil become the new diesel replacement indon jadi kaya lorrr…….ethanol that one higly flamable right kalu exsiden terus meletup…
haha…cute
FOR ME BETTER OUR LOCAL CAR DISIGN