Fiat's two-cylinder power trip

Economical and eco-friendly, the new Fiat 500, features the 875cc TwinAir, has combined fuel economy of 4.8 litres/100km and CO2 emissions of 113gr/km. Photo / Supplied

Fiat plans to expand the number of vehicles fitted with its TwinAir petrol powerplant, Europe's only two-cylinder engine, and intends to boost production of the unit.

The 875cc TwinAir, which went on sale in July 2010 in the Fiat 500, was chosen this week as the 2011 International Engine of the Year by a jury of 76 journalists and industry experts from 36 countries.

Last year, Fiat built 14,000 TwinAir engines and plans to increase output to 100,000 units this year and to 250,000 next year, as the unit becomes available on a broader vehicle range.

Lancia will start offering the engine in the new Ypsilon when it begins sales of the small car in Italy this week and Fiat plans to start rolling out the TwinAir in its Punto hatchback by the end of the year.

Fiat also plans two further versions of the TwinAir. A more powerful 78kW turbocharged variant will debut in mid-2012 on the new small minivan family that will replace the Fiat Idea and Multipla and a greener 60kW turbocharged bi-fuel version, able to burn petrol or compressed natural gas (CNG), will be fitted to the Panda in the second quarter of next year.

The CNG TwinAir will cut carbon dioxide emissions to about 80gr/km from 92gr/km currently achieved by the 65kW petrol unit.

Fiat builds the TwinAir at its powertrain plant in Bielsko-Biala, Poland, which also builds the four-cylinder 1.3-litre small diesel engine used by Alfa Romeo, Citroen, Ford, Fiat, Lancia, Opel/Vauxhall and Peugeot on passenger cars and light commercial vehicles.

The next generation of the Fiat Panda, expected at the end of the year, will also mark the introduction of a normally aspirated version of the TwinAir. This engine delivers 50kW compared to the 65kW of the turbocharged version.

The epitome of the downsizing concept, the efficient engines in the TwinAir family feature the sophisticated MultiAir technology for the smart management of the intake valves, which affords brilliant performance levels and, concurrently, extremely low fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

Members of the engine of the year jury praised the TwinAir engine. Said Australian John Carey, editor of Wheels: "This is proof that aggressive downsizing need not spell timid performance. Surprisingly torque-y, impressively and affordably efficient, this tiny twin also has plenty of character."

The award was collected by Fiat's engineering executives. "This is the crowning moment of all our hard work in researching innovative technological solutions and designing increasingly efficient engines," said Fiat.