The confirmation came as the CEO was visiting Campo Largo, Parana state, the place where Fiat operates a manufacturing facility since 2008. TwinAir will be manufactured at Parana together with the 1.6l and 1.8l E.torQ engines, as well as with the double dry clutch automated gearboxes. 40 percent of the Brazilian output will be exported.
The TwinAir engine is a 0.9l turbocharged two-cylinder gasoline unit which spits out an unnatural 85 hp. Fitted on the 500, it eats up to 4.1l/100 km (57.4 mpg), while emitting 95g/km of CO2.
Earlier today, Fiat announced that the technology debuted on the 0.9l unit will mark the beginning of an entire new breed of engines. Engines which will likely make their way into other Fiat-owned brands as well, with outputs ranging from 64 hp to 105 hp.
Rumor goes that Fiat will take things even further and fit the TwinAir with a twin-clutch transmission plus a 5 kW electric motor. That would make the 500, for all intents and purposes, a hybrid, capable of emitting under 70 grams per kilometer of CO2 reaching in excess of 100 mpg (2.3l/100 km).
According to Auto Express, the hybrid 500 will be marketed both in the US and Europe starting late 2012.
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