Fiat Takes Full Control of Diesel Engine Manufacturer VM Motori from GM

Fiat now has its very own diesel engine division, in the form of freshly acquired company VM Motori. Up until this point of complete acquisition, the Italian engine builder was already half-owned by Fiat, while the other half belonged to General Motors.

The latter gave up all of its shares for a reported €34.1 ($47.1) million – they had been purchased back in 2007, when things were still apparently going well…

Now, the Italian automaker will have complete access to the entire yearly production run of 90,000, though, not all of them are for automotive use. Models such as the newly released Ram 1500 EcoDiesel and the slightly older Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel do use the three-liter V6 unit. It is competent, but not necessarily a benchmark compared to the array of similar units in use around Europe.

For both Fiat and Chrysler, I don’t think there’s any downside to the deal whatsoever, especially if the diesel market in the US picks up like it has been speculated that it might, and demand grows. In fact, we heard rumors that it may be introducing a diesel version of the 300 sedan to counter the increasingly large number of Euro-derived oil burners ending up on sale in the US, and we can speculate as to the connectedness of it all, but we’ll leave that up to you.

By Andrei Nedelea

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Fiat Adds 105HP TwinAir on the 500, 120HP 1.6 MultiJet II Diesel on the 500L

As of today, the Fiat 500 hatchback and 500C cabriolet models can be ordered in Italy with the most powerful version of the 0.9-liter TwinAir engine developing 105 hp. Until now, Fiat 500 models were only available with the 85hp version of the two-cylinder engine.

When equipped with the new engine, the Fiat 500 hatch sprints from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 10 seconds and reaches a top speed of 188 km/h (117 mph). Fuel economy is 4.2 l/100 km on the combined cycle, with CO2 emissions rated at 99 g/km. The new engine is linked to a 6-speed manual gearbox and adds to the existing 69HP 1.2 and 85HP 0.9 TwinAir gasoline units, the 85HP 1.3 MultiJet II diesel and the 1.2 EasyPower (LPG/petrol).

The new engine can be combined with the Lounge, S and GQ equipment grades, with list prices in Italy varying between €16,181 ($22,275) for the 500 Lounge and €21,525 ($29,620) for the 500C GQ range-topping model.

Fiat has also announced the introduction of the new 120HP 1.6 MultiJet II diesel engine on the 500L, 500L Living and 500L Trekking models. The engine uses a variable geometry turbocharger and a third-generation Common Rail system, allowing it to deliver 320 Nm (236 lb-ft) of torque at 1,500 rpm. List prices in Italy vary from €21,525 for the 500L Pop, Star and Easy trim levels to €23,894 ($32,875) for the range-topping 500L Living Lounge.

By Dan Mihalascu

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Euro Honda Civic Equipped With 1.6 i-DTEC Diesel Impresses in UK Efficiency Competition

We don’t need to remind you that one of the reasons why Honda didn’t sell too many of the new shape Civic hatchbacks in Europe was the lack of a small capacity diesel engine. Now, it’s here, and according to first impressions, it lives up to the hype that was created around it, and is at least on par with what the European manufacturers are doing, bar Renault’s 1.6 DCi that is both more powerful and has more torque.

Now, it has taken part in a UK efficiency competition called the MPG Marathon, a corporate-sponsored event aiming to find out which car is Britain’s most efficient new model. The Civic, powered by the 1.6 i-DTEC diesel was one of the highlights, and after completing the 367-mile (588 km) drive, it averaged 84.87 mpg UK (70.6 mpg US or 3.32 l/100km) – it surpassed its official claimed figure of 78.5 mpg UK (65.4 mpg US or 3.6 l/100km).

This put it in third place overall, lagging just 4 mpg UK behind the winner, the Ford Fiesta ECOnetic, which itself was followed by the also very efficient Renault Clio.

Both cars are from one class below, so the Civic’s performance is definitely a highly commendable one – CO2 emissions were kept low too, at 94 g/km.

Moreover, even with the small displacement, reviews have said it’s by no means a slouch on the move, with 118 hp on tap and 300 Nm. There’s an acceleration run video posted below, illustrating its spritely nature.

By Andrei Nedelea

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VIDEO

Volvo Announces New Low Emission 181HP D4 Diesel and 306HP 2.0L Inline-Four Gasoline T6

Volvo’s five-cylinder D3 and D4 diesel engines were never the most efficient two-liter units on the market, but they did punch well above their capacity in terms of torque and, of course, they made a pleasant telltale thrum that accompanied each prod of the throttle.

Now, the Swedes have brought out a new Drive-E powertrain for use under the bonnet of the S60/V60, but it’s not based on the old D4, because this new 181 hp one loses one cylinder, and with it, a lot of charm.

Speaking of torque, Volvo omits to mention if the figure has changed or not, but the old 163 hp version had 400 Nm, which is close to what some mainstream V6 diesels make… What we can tell you without fear of misinforming is the Drive-E unit’s claimed fuel consumption, which sits at 3.8 l/100 km or 74.3 mpg UK. Then, there are also the very low CO2 emissions, which are a claimed 99 g/Km if buyers go for a six-speed stick.

“The Drive-E diesels feature world-first i-ART technology with pressure feedback from each fuel injector instead of using a traditional single pressure sensor in the common rail” – still won’t sound as good as before, though… “The combination of injection pressure at 2,500 bar and i-ART technology gives the customer an engine with high performance, improved fuel economy and considerably lower emissions. It is a breakthrough comparable to our invention of the lambda sensor for the catalytic converter in 1976,” according to Derek Crabb Vice President Powertrain Engineering at Volvo Car Group.

Next up, Volvo has another two-liter unit with the wrong number of cylinders for auditory pleasure in store, and it’s somewhat misleadingly named the T6. However, this one is fueled by gasoline, makes 306 hp and pushes the S60 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.9 seconds, benefiting from being both turbocharged and supercharged. However, it’s still touted as being efficiency-oriented too, using up just 6.4 l/100km (44.1 mpg UK/ 36.75 mpg US) and emitting an almost unbelievable 149 g/km CO2 – that’s very good for its power output. These figures are achieved in conjunction with a new eight-speed automatic gearbox that will become available throughout the range. The new T6 debuts next year, so if you want a six-pot, with the prettier facelifted body, you still have some time to pick one up.

By Andrei Nedelea

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