Fiat News

The carsguide best green car nominations have done nothing, if not underscore the growing acceptance of modern diesel engines as an eco-friendly alternativeto petrol.

It would have been so easy for the Blue Oval team to drop the bundle as they worked towards producing a new car for a segment that was shrinking daily before their eyes.

It's time to reveal the second half of the carsguide Car of the Year field - and this time it's all closer to home.The second group of five finalists includes a pair of Aussie icons and three of the perennial favourites out of Japan.These COTY contenders have been through the same gruelling three-day test program as the opening five contenders - the Audi A4, BMW 135i Sport, Fiat 500, Jaguar XF diesel and VW Tiguan.With the full final field of 10 revealed, the votes are in and a winner will be announced next Friday.For the stories, video and photos visit Carsguide Car of the Year 2009. 

But when you do hit the open road, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

It has all-electric power with 93 lithium-ion batteries, which are stuck in the middle to balance weight distribution and handling. The Bugster puts out 59kW of power and 220Nm of torque connected to the sequential manual gearbox used in Fiat's little Punto. It is the work of Fiat's Brazilian arm, created for a world debut at the recent Sao Paulo motor show. Other green features, apart from the paint job, include the tool kit , which is made from recycled plastic, the seats, which are made from a foam that includes recycled soya bean oil, and the body panels, which use clay manipulated by nanotechnology. It has a range of 100km.  

Italian carmaker Fiat has a month to appeal a court decision against Chinese carmaker Great Wall Motors over the copycat claim. The Shijiazhuang Intermediate People's Court last week dismissed a patent infringement complaint against Great Wall Motors by Fiat. Fiat claims the Hong Kong-listed Chinese carmaker's Peri models infringe Fiat's patent. Fiat says the GWM Peri is a Fiat Panda look-alike. The issue between Great Wall and Fiat is a sensitive one for Australian Fiat importer Ateco Automotive, as it plans to start importing Great Wall vehicles late this year. However, Ateco has no plans to bring in the Fiat Panda, according to spokesman Edward Rowe. GWM spokeswoman Ann Wild says Great Wall Motors is still finalising the vehicles it will launch here. She also says the Fiat-GWM legal stoush had been discussed locally but is not considered an issue. Wild's public relations company is handling the launch of the Great Wall vehicles, which will kick off with the SA230 utility. She says her company has been hired because GWM will be a distinct launch for a new manufacturer. “The stable at Ateco is quite different,” she says. Stuck side-by-side, the 1.3-litre Peri looks surprisingly like the Panda. Great Wall also builds an all-electric Peri. However, Great Wall says the court concluded, after examining pictures of Fiat's patented exterior design, that there were significant differences between it and the Peri. The Italian company was ordered to pay court costs of about $1500. Fiat communications spokesman Gualberto Ranieri is guarded about any likely response from the Italian giant. “We acknowledge the Chinese court decision notwithstanding we point out that it goes on the opposite avenue vis-a-vis a resolution taken on July 15 by a court in Europe on the same issue,” Ranieri says. “Fiat is currently evaluating a number of options on how to proceed.” Ranieri would not comment on whether Fiat had issues with Ateco's move to import GW vehicles. Last month a Turin court banned Great Wall from selling its compact Peri in the European Union, saying the car too closely resembles the Panda. Great Wall is preparing documents for an appeal against the ruling and doesn't anticipate the Italian court order will have a substantial impact on its operations. Copycat cars have been a problem for other carmakers as well. In the past Daimler Benz, Honda and General Motors have been involved in disputes with Chinese carmakers.  

ANOTHER Italian brand is being groomed for migration to Australia. This time it is Lancia. The semi-luxury brand has been missing from local roads for more than 20 years but a renewed emphasis on right-hand-drive cars will benefit Australian buyers within three years. Lancia will be the 54th brand in local showrooms, though the total will be even higher before 2011 because at least two Chinese carmakers are aiming for a local launch next year. Lancia is sheltered beneath the Fiat Group umbrella, which means it is much easier to make a business case by sharing existing resources with the Ferrari-Maserati-Fiat importer, Ateco Automotive in Sydney. There are likely to be at least three models in the line-up, from a baby car to a people-mover. Ateco Automotive is being coy about details — and even shows some hesitation at the prospect of adding Lancia to its line-up — but indicates it will need at least three car models to make the brand a starter in Australia. Ateco spokesman Ed Butler says Fiat is keen to see Lancia spread potential growth once it starts producing its new generation of right-hand-drive models — firstly aimed at British buyers — later this year. “It's early days. We have to see what models are available and how they can work in Australia,” he says. The most-likely first Lancia is the Delta five-door hatch, which is based heavily on the Fiat Ritmo. The Thesis, a sedan version of the Delta, may also be added to the Australian list. And there is also the multi-seat Phedra wagon. Small-bore Lancias such as the three-door Ypsilon and five-door Musa may be physically too small and a bit costly for Australia, though they have not been ruled out. Both have the choice of 1.3-litre turbodiesel and 1.4-litre petrol engines in various levels of tuning. The powerplants are the same as those fitted to the Fiat 500 and Punto. Lancia may share mechanical components with Fiat but the nameplate is more up-spec — dare we say, luxurious — and is intended to be classier. That luxury includes attractive leather upholstery but that is at odds with the current Lancia styling that includes an ugly “cat's bum” corporate grille. The Italian brand is being promoted heavily in Europe and particularly in the UK, as the Fiat Group starts to claw back market share from French and German rivals.   IT'S EARLY DAYS. WE HAVE TO SEE WHAT MODELS ARE AVAILABLE AND HOW THEY CAN WORK IN AUSTRALIA  

While it may spend its life on racetracks, the tiny Fiat Abarth 500 Assetto Corse will be a wild little thing. It is powered by a four-cylinder turbocharged 1.4-litre engine that puts out 147kW of power and 300Nm of torque. It will have a six-speed gearbox and full racing trim that includes 17-inch ultralight racing wheels, an aerodynamic rear spoiler and racing front grille, complete with twin air-intakes. Although gaining a full racing roll-cage for safety, the baby Fiat race car will be 180kg lighter than the road car. They will be available in any colour you want, as long as it is pastel grey with red stripes. Fiat released the first pictures of the new car this week. Fiat Australia spokesman Edward Rowe says the car will be raced in a series of one-marque national championships throughout Europe from next year. Rowe says the power output of the baby racer is twice that of the Fiat 500 cars used in the celebrity challenge at this year's Australian Grand Prix. Fiat's involvement in personalising the car and the series extends to the Italian marque providing full racing outfits for each driver. An appearance Down Under is unlikely as there is not a natural category for it to race in. Fiat has no plans to introduce a one-make championship in Australia as BMW has done with the Mini Challenge for Mini Cooper racing cars that started this year. But Rowe says the company has received expressions of interest from drivers in Australia to race versions of the sporty Fiat 500 Abarth road car due here next year. They would most likely contest production car championship events, including the Bathurst 12 Hour race. Fiat Abarth racing cars were a common sight on European racetracks and rallies in the 1960s. The most successful model was the 850TC. In Australia, two Fiat 600s (the larger version of the 500) contested the first Armstrong 500 at Phillip Island in 1960, the forerunner of the Bathurst 1000.   Snapshot Fiat 500 Abarth Assetto Corse Price: N/A Engine: 1.4L/4-cylinder turbo 147kW/300Nm Transmission: 6-speed manual  

We live in strange times — or at least under a Federal Government that has some strange ideas about things on four wheels.A big, heavy luxury SUV cops less tax than a more efficient, cleaner imported car. Diesel is less expensive to produce than petrol yet costs more at the pump than premium unleaded. Diesel cars are more fuel efficient than petrol equivalents, yet continue to command a price premium.Perhaps the only surprise is that Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan hasn't stuck an import duty on the cars we present here for being too efficient. It would be in keeping with the logic of his budget.All cars listed here offer official or claimed fuel consumption of less than five litres per 100km (56 miles per gallon by the old measure) in ideal conditions.Fiat 500 1.3 JTD Pop$25,9904.2L/100kmSuch was the demand for diesel that Fiat Australia has expanded its availability to the top of the 500 range's Lounge trim.If the existing Pop lacks the Lounge level of spec, it has all its desirability and efficiency. In fact, official figures place this immensely cute and quite practical re-born 500 as the most fuel-efficient auto on the Australian market.The smallest of the Fiat Group's turbo diesel, the 1.3 is a shade laggedly but winds up nicely to provide a cruisability that belies itscapacity.The DINK's city car par excellence: if the 500 doesn't raise a smile, then it's you that's wrong.Citroen C3 HDi$23,9904.4L/100kmWhile the French marque's reputation for reliability gets nowhere near Japanese surety, Citroen does chic in a way that, shall we say, Toyota doesn't.That Prius-equalling consumption is achieved with 65kW/215Nm 1.6-litre turbo diesel that utterly erases the petrol C3s for efficiency and performance.It typifies the “downsizing but upspeccing” paradigm that has seen sales of light and small cars overwhelm the “Falcodores”.While we do try to be enlightened, we gotta to say that if the C3 is chic, it's also for chicks. Sorry.Toyota Prius II$37,4004.4L/100kmThe world's most successful automotive marketing exercise, one which has caused denuded whole forests for paper devoted to its praise, the Prius is synonymous with lean and green motoring.Another paradox is that being as visually appealing as a chunk of cheddar has enhanced rather than damaged its appeal. It's distinctive and that's what counts. What's the point of making an eco-statement if no one knows you're making one?The Prius comes into its own in commuter traffic, where the constant throttle needed to extract the best return from diesel is hard to maintain. If anodyne to drive in the Toyota fashion, it's by no means awful with quite responsive and reasonably direct handling. Too dear, though.Fiat Punto 1.3 JTD$25,4904.5L/100kmRather more practical than the 500, the larger Fiat achieves its frugal consumption via a robotised six-speed sequential manual; one that does without a clutch pedal and provides an automatic drive mode, minimising the emission spikes that occur when gear changing in a conventional manual.If you can do without the rear seat headroom and don't mind joining a queue, take the 500. Fiat have invested too much in this car for it to flop qualitively.The Punto's interior does not inspire the same confidence.Audi A3 1.9 TDIe$38,900diesel 4.5L/100kmThis hugely efficient and incredibly clean (119g of CO2/km) turbo diesel is absolutely a Prius rival, both in terms of its figures and mad pricing.An eco-conscience can come with a considerable cost but, in this instance, at least you get a decent badge for your splodge (never you mind that it's all Volkswagen Golf underneath).We've yet to test this particular car — that comes in a few weeks — but on the basis of other Golf/A3 diesels, the 77kW/250Nm provided by this unit promises to make being green slightly easier to bear.Citroen C4 SX HDi$30,990diesel 4.5L/100kmAgain you've got to go for the sequential/robotised transmission to realise this figure from the 1.6-litre 80kW/240Nm diesel — which is probably no hardship given how most of you bleat about having to change gears for yourself. Harden the frack up, Australia ...Anyway, this version of Peugeot's 307 in a smarter suit is a cleverly-designed number that manages to afford more usable passenger space than certain bigger cars.You'll not quickly tire of instruments and features that initially appear quirky but are indeed highly practical.Though not the most composed drive on RTA roads and never in danger of providing excitement, the C4 would probably be the family pick from those here.Honda Civic Hybrid$32,9904.6L/100kmThis Honda would run the Citroen close, though.A 1.3-litre petrol-electric hybrid that's much cheaper than the Prius, the Civic attracts infinitely less attention just by virtue of the fact it looks like a common-or-garden Civic, rather than an advertisement for itself.A good but almost forgotten thing, we'll be revisiting the hybrid Honda in depth in the coming weeks.Hyundai i30 SX CRDi$21,4904.7L/100kmCarsguide's Car of 2007, in case we haven't mentioned it recently, at least with the $1300 safety pack that includes stability control and the full complement of airbags.With its responsive 85kW/2455Nm 1.6-litre diesel, the i30 is a spacious, European-designed hatch that dispels any lingering notions about Korean cars. If such doubts do linger, there's always its five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty.Steering feel and standard rubber leave something to be desired, but we liked it. So will you. What do you think about hybrid cars, bio fuels and all things green? Have your say.  

The most frugal version of Fiat's baby 500 model, using a small diesel, consumes less than Japan's best hybrids, which can cost about $10,000 more. A flood of imported new-generation diesel models has arrived, delivering fuel consumption of better than five litres per 100km — equivalent to 56mpg. Most are able to drive about 1000km without visiting a service station. However, these bowser-beaters are small cars with premium prices. The new champ is the 500 diesel version, rated at 4.2 litres per 100km in official testing, and costing $25,990. Petrol 500s, which are slightly thirstier, start from about $23,000. The most popular hybrids, using an electric motor teamed with a petrol engine, are the Toyota Prius (4.4 litres/100km, from $37,400) and the Honda Civic Hybrid (4.6 litres/100km, $32,990). The first batch of diesel 500s for Queensland buyers is expected to arrive soon, but petrol versions are already here. New owner Kitty Mackay, of New Farm in inner Brisbane, has just bought a Fiat 500 from a dealer. “With me, it's a nostalgia thing,” she said. “I had a Fiat 500 when I was going to uni in the '70s. Also, I'm doing my little bit for the environment.” She said it c to fill the tank, which was still half-full after five days of heavy use. “It's fun, it's cute and it fits all the shopping in the boot, no trouble at all,” she said. “It's a really handy little car for everything and a perfect, perfect, perfect town car.” The 1.4 litre 500 Sport has a list price of $26,990, but Ms Mackay's came with extras including red leather upholstery, red stripes, sunroof and tinted windows, making it $35,000 on-road. “That's a lot to pay for a little car, but it's worth it,” she said. Meanwhile, the Queensland Government, which has had hybrid cars on its fleet since getting six of the first Toyota Prius hatchbacks in 2001, is adding Honda Civic Hybrids. The first 10 Hondas have just been delivered, with another 40 on the way this year to join QFleet's stock of 177 hybrids. Premier Anna Bligh said: “The cars we buy are important as they not only end up in the government fleet but then in the community.”   Fuel misers Fiat 500 diesel 4.2L/100km Citroen C3 diesel 4.4L/100km Fiat Punto diesel 4.4L/100km Toyota Prius 4.4L/100km Audi A3 1.9 diesel 4.5L/100km Citroen C4 diesel 4.5L/100km Honda Civic Hybrid 4.6L/100km