Fiat’s 900cc Twin-Air engine revolutionized the concept of a small city car, with a small engine. Now, a very small engine, with a turbocharger could offer surprisingly spritely performance, yet offer very good economy at the same time. The Italian firm is currently using its Twin-Air engine in the Punto, Panda, 500, as well as in the Alfa Romeo MiTo and Lancia Ypsilon.
Now, though, in a recent presentation video of the engine, they have hinted at the possibility of its inclusion into a hybrid system, which will probably make its way under the bonnet of the petit 500. The video ends with the line “Combination with hybrid technology”, yet we really don’t know what this means, though we are expecting the system to be similar to the one used by Honda, which cannot run the car in full-EV mode, as it is integrated into the gearbox.
This is a very interesting development, and a small hybrid powertrain would boost the 500’s appeal even more, as in Europe, only the new Toyota Yaris is currently available as a hybrid.
Google News