Fiat's TwinAir Engine Gets Paul Pietsch Award

Italian automaker Fiat announced today it has received the prestigious Paul Pietsch Award for the development of the TwinAir engine. The distinction for automotive technology and design was handed to Aldo Marangoni, Product Engineering Vice President at Fiat Powertrain, during an event held at Stuttgart.

TwinAir is an innovative engine developed by Fiat Powertrain. It made its debut on the Fiat 500, and holds an important role in protecting the environment thanks to its low fuel consumption and emissions.

“This 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,” a company statement reads.

The 875 cmc petrol unit delivers 85 hp (63 kW) with the aid of its turbo and uses 4.1 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres, while emitting just 95 grams of CO2 for every kilometre.

Mainly, there are three factors that enable the TwinAir to achieve this drastic reduction in fuel consumption and emissions:

• 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.
• 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.
• the use of a turbocharger that guarantees power and torque values on a par with those of the biggest four cylinder engines.

The award, which recognizes innovative developments in automotive engineering since 1989, is named after the co-founder of Auto Motor und Sport magazine.