Fiat’s 0.9-Liter TwinAir Scoops

 This year’s event, held on Wednesday, May 18th at the Engine Expo in Stuttgart, Germany, also saw BMW taking four accolades. These include the “3-liter to 4-liter” category with its 4.0-liter V8 unit mounted on the M3, the “2.5-liter to 3-liter” category for its 3.0-liter DI Twin Turbo, the “1.8-liter to 2-liter” category for its 2.0-liter Twin Turbo diesel engine found in the 123d and X1, and finally the “1.4-liter to 1.8-liter” category for its 1.6-liter four-cylinder turbo engine co-developed with PSA Peugeot Citroen, powering the Mini.

The second place in the overall competition went to VW Group's 1.4-liter TSI Twincharger engine, which triumphed in the “1-liter to 1.4-liter” category, while Audi won the “2-liter to 2.5-liter” category with its impressive 2.5-liter five-cylinder turbocharged engine from the TT RS and RS3. The “Above 4-liter” category went to Ferrari's 4.5-liter V8 engine found in the 458 Italia, which also took the accolade of “Best Performance Engine”, bringing the Fiat Group's total wins to six, or half of all the awards. And the big winner of the 2011 edition of the coveted International Engine of the Year is…Fiat’s 0.9-liter twin-cylinder gasoline engine also known simply as the TwinAir. A jury comprised of 76 journalists and industry experts from 36 different countries were convinced by the 875 cc unit's low emissions, high fuel economy and impressive output for its size, awarding it four awards: “Best New Engine 2011”, “Best Green Engine 2011”, “Best Sub 1-Liter Engine” and the “International Engine of the Year 2011” overall award.

Currently available in a turbocharged configuration developing 85-horsepower, the TwinAir is offered on the Fiat 500 and 500C, and will soon find its way under the hood of the new Lancia Ypsilon supermini. Fiat is also planning the introduction of a naturally aspirated version producing 65-horses as well as another high-performance turbocharged variant with 105HP. The TwinAir will also be offered in a more eco-friendly 80HP Turbo bi-fuel version. “Fiat has now produced one of the all-time great engines,” said Dean Slavnich, editor of Engine Technology International and co-chairman of the International Engine of the Year Awards. “Who would have thought that a two-cylinder unit could have won the International Engine of the Year title when we launched the Awards in 1999? Its triumph is a clear signal that less is more: people want low-emission, fuel-efficient yet powerful engines, and just two cylinders certainly seems to provide a comprehensive solution!”

Fiat’s Campaign 500 by Gucci

The campaign was imagined by Gucci Creative Director Frida Giannini, who was also responsible for the design of the special edition 500. Fiat said the single and double-page advertisements will appear in publications throughout the year. The 500 by Gucci was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show this past March to celebrate both the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy and Gucci's 90th anniversary. It went on sale in Italy on April 1st with a base price of €17,000 (US$24,200). Euro-wide sales will begin in July with the rest of the world to follow at the end of the year.

The Gucci-branded Italian mini is offered in a choice of two color themes, black exterior with shiny chrome details, and a two-tone black and white interior, or with a white exterior shade with satin chrome details, and an ivory and black interior. Gucci’s pin stripes as well as 16-inch alloy wheels are found on both versions Russian model Natalya Sergeyevna Polevshchikova, more commonly known as Nataly Poly, is the new face of Fiat’s advertising campaign for the limited edition 500 by Gucci. The blonde temptress from the land of hot spies, beautiful ballets and Vodka, is dressed in a one-of-a-kind black leather ensemble and is all over the 500’s ultra compact body.