February 10, 2009
The Fiat Group will announce new engines and new technologies at the Geneva Motor Show next month, including a new 1.8-liter gasoline engine and a 1.3-diesel engine, Italiaspeed reports today
.
The Website reports that the turbocharged four-cylinder 1.8-liter engine will be used in the upcoming Alfa Romeo 159, the Lancia Delta, the Alfa Romeo Brera, Spider and Mito GTA.
It will be offered in 170-, 200- and 230-horsepower outputs (the latter reserved for the Brera, Spider and Mito GTA) and it will feature both direct injection and continuously-variable inlet and exhaust cam timing.
Italiaspeed reports that Fiat Powertrain Technologies is close to production of its Multijet 2 new-generation diesel injection technology, and its Multiair electrohydraulic valve-actuation system.
Multiair is said to improve torque from gasoline engines by up to 20 percent at lower engine speeds and boost power by 10 to 15 percent, yet reduce fuel consumption by up to 10 percent.
Additional information regarding fuel economy and tailpipe emissions was unavailable.
The Multijet 2 engines will be launched in Frankfurt with a new injection pump and solenoid injectors for more precise fuel delivery. Fiat has not yet decided whether to offer any of these small powerplants in the U.S.
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- Scott Doggett February 10, 2009, 12:54 PM
- Categories:
- Alfa Romeo, Auto Shows, Emissions, Fiat, Fuel Economy
- Technorati Tags:
- Alfa Romeo
, Fiat Group, Fuel Economy, Geneva Auto Show, Tailpipe Emissions
January 20, 2009
Looks as though Chrysler has found someone interested in it for purposes other than picking the meat from its bones.
Italy's Fiat, itself just recently recovered from a near-death experience (remember just four years ago, when GM, worried that Fiat was close to collapse, paid $2 billion to walk away from an option to buy the company?) has signed a deal for a strategic partnership with Chrysler.
No money is expected to change hands, but the strategic partnership agreement opens each company's product, intellectual and marketing resources for the other to dip into.
We'll leave it to our colleagues at Edmunds' AutoObserver to opine on the business sense of a cashless deal that apparently leaves Chrysler still looking for several billions of dollars to make it through 2009.
But we're heartened by the proposition that, if the beleaguered third member of the U.S. auto-making industry does survive, its tie-up with Fiat could bring a whole new batch of fun to drive, fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly cars to our shores.
Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge dealerships in the U.S. could become outlets for upscale Alfa Romeos and the economical (40+ mpg) Fiat 500
mini-car (right)
- the European Car of the Year in 2008.
Fiat isn't likely to be too interested in Chrysler's cars, but the company has underused factories in the U.S. that Fiat can use, and it provides the Italian company easier entry to this market than it would have had going it alone.
Chrysler also would benefit from Fiat's know-how in building small engines that deliver both fuel economy and performance - expertise Chrysler seems to be missing.
And who knows, maybe there's a secret lust for Dodge Ram duallies and Chrysler 300s in Fiat's European markets.
John O'Dell, Senior Editor
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- John O'Dell January 20, 2009, 8:24 AM
- Categories:
- Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Fiat, Fuel Economy
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- Chrysler
, Fiat, Small Cars
December 10, 2008
The Criminal Investigation Division of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched a Website
today to enlist the public's help in tracking down fugitives accused of violating federal environmental laws.
At least three of the fugitives being sought are wanted for offenses close to our heart.
The most heinous of the three is the father-son team of Alessandro and Carlos Giordano, the former owners of Autodelta USA, who were arrested in 2003.
The EPA claims the company illegally imported and sold Alfa Romeos in California that did not meet U.S. emission or safety standards. The two men are believed to be living in Italy.
Also wanted by the feds is Jun Wang, who allegedly discharged fuel from his tanker truck directly into Little Beaver Creek in Kettering, Ohio.
Neither the type of fuel nor information on possible victims were immediately available, but we suspect beavers and/or little beavers may have been involved.
Wang (left) is believed to be living in Shenyang, China.
Information about the EPA's captured fugitives can also be found on the site.
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- Scott Doggett December 10, 2008, 2:56 PM
- Categories:
- Alfa Romeo, China, Courts, Emissions, Fuels & Technologies
- Technorati Tags:
- Alfa Romeo
, China, Court, Emissions, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, Fuel
The Fiat Group will announce new engines and new technologies at the Geneva Motor Show next month, including a new 1.8-liter gasoline engine and a 1.3-diesel engine, Italiaspeed reports today
. 
