Fiat has unveiled the production version of its two-cylinder gasoline engine family called TwinAir. The first car to receive the new turbocharged engine is the Fiat 500, in both three-door and convertible forms, with sales to begin from September, 2010.

The innovative 0.9-liter 2-cylinder engine implements several technologies, including a small-sized turbine, start and stop and the firm’s MultiAir electro-hydraulic valve management system that reduces fuel consumption and emissions by controlling air directly via the inlet valves, without using the throttle.

Fiat says that compared with a medium-sized four-cylinder of equal performance, the new Twinair engine is significantly shorter (-23%) and lighter (-10%), while returning 30% lower fuel consumption.

The new Twinair engine will eventually be offered in various flavors with power outputs ranging from 65 to 105 HP.

In the 500 and 500C, the 0.9-liter unit produces 85HP at 5,500 rpm and 145Nm of peak torque at 1,900 rpm. Equipped with the 85HP 0.9-liter engine and a manual gearbox, the Fiat 500 reaches a top speed of 173 km/h and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 11 seconds.

In addition, the Fiat 500 with TwinAir 85 HP and the Dualogic robotized gearbox will come equipped with an ECO button positioned on the dashboard allowing the driver to select from two modes, Normal and ECO. In the first mode, the engine delivers the maximum available torque (145 Nm) while steering assistance is set on normal.

In ECO mode, the emphasis is on “eco-friendly” driving as torque is cut off to 100 Nm at 1,750 rpm to minimize consumption and promote a driving style more suitable for city traffic while the steering wheel is lighter (CITY mode is automatically selected).

The new Twinair engine will be offered on other A- and B-segment Fiat’s models including the Panda and the Punto Evo.

A new special edition of the Fiat 500 has been unveiled. Called the 500 Limited Edition ” Rosso Corsa”, it will be produced exclusively for the German market in a limited series of 250 examples.

The 500 Limited Edition ” Rosso Corsa” will gets a unique red finish and also gets a leather interior, 16-inch alloy wheels with red accents, Bi-Xenon headlamps, a higher-grade audio system and red painted brake calipers.

The Fiat 500 Limited Edition “Rosso Corsa” is available only with the 100HP 1.4-liter naturally aspirated petrol with pricing set at €19,500.

The annual Salon Privé, a luxury car event that takes place this year in London from 21-23 July, will be hosting the UK debut of the all-electric Fiat Atomik 500.

Created by French maker, Atomik Cars, the Fiat 500 gets two electric motors, one up front producing 80kW and 840Nm (619 lb-ft), and one at the rear that makes the same power but a whopping 1,710 Nm (1,261 lb-ft) of peak torque.

The Atomik says that the 1,400kg 500 EV can hit 100km/h (62mph) from rest in less than 5 seconds, complete the 0-1,000 meter sprint in 26 seconds and achieve a top speed of around 200 km/h (electric cutoff is at 180 km/h), while providing a range of 200 km (124 miles).

Look at the first official photos of the 2011 Fiat Uno, a new Italian supermini. The 2011 Fiat Uno borrows its name from the highly successful Uno that was introduced in 1983 as a replacement to the ageing Fiat 127.

Its spiritual successor, which closely resembles a larger Panda in appearance, will be manufactured in Brazil.

It will be offered in two flavors, the standard five-door hatchback model and the crossover-ish Uno Way that boasts a higher road clearance and rugged looks.

There are no words on the engine range, but buyers shouldn’t expect any surprises under the hood as Fiat will most likely use the same small displacement powertrains found on its other models.

Fiat’s tuning brand, Abarth, has unveiled the lid on its latest creation based on the 500C. Like its tin-topped counterpart, the Abarth 500C benefits from a more powerful turbocharged engine as well as chassis upgrades and a full suite of aero tweaks to reduce drag and improve high-speed stability over the standard Fiat 500C.

Motivation comes from a 1.4-liter turbocharged T-Jet engine delivering 140 horsepower and 206Nm of peak torque at 2,000 rpm. Power is transferred to the front wheels through a standard six-speed automated manual gearbox with paddle shifters.

The Abarth 500C can start from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in 8.1 seconds and reach a maximum speed of 205km/h or 127mph, while returning an average fuel consumption in the combined cycle of 6.5lt/100km, or the U.S. equal of 36.2mpg.

Aside from the turbocharged engine, the firm’s engineers have also tweaked the rag-top mini’s suspension and brake components.

Abarth adds a full body kit with beefed up front and rear bumpers, side skirts, a roof spoiler and a rear diffuser that integrates the twin tail pipes. The Abarth 500C rides on newly styled 17-inch alloy wheels.

The vehicle’s electrically operated rollover canvas top comes in a choice of two colours (black or titanium grey), while Abarth also created three special two-tone color schemes, one in black and race white and the other in two different shades of grey.

The Abarth 500C will reach European dealerships later this year with North American sales scheduled to start sometime in 2012.

Fiat announced today that it is replacing the the 500 mini’s 75HP Multijet diesel unit with a 1.3-liter Multijet II engine that incorporates Start&Stop technology and a DPF particulate filter.

The new diesel unit produces an output of 95 horsepower (+20HP) at 4,000rpm and 200Nm or 148 lb-ft of torque at only 1,500rpm.

The result is a significant improvement in the car’s performance as top speed is increased from 165km/h to 181km/h while the 0-100km/h acceleration time is reduced from 12.5 to just 10.7 seconds.

The fuel consumption is improved from 67.3mpg UK (equal to 4.2lt/100km and 56.1mpg US) to 72.4mpg UK (3.9 lt/100km or 60.2mpg) in the combined European cycle.

Look at the image above. It a Fiat 500 Pink Limited Edition. Only 500 of these pink Fiat 500 will be produced. The pink car will target women drivers making them believe that it is a must have motoring fashion item. Under the hood will be a 1242 engine that will make the car pelt from 0 to 62mph in 13 secs and it will top it out a 99 miles per hour. The car sports a purplish pink tinge while on the inside it adores the color black. Other attractions include a start/stop system, a leather gear knob and most notably a sunroof.

The Fiat 500 Pink Limited Edition is priced at £11,700 and it is already on sale in the UK.

Fiat’s New Small Gasoline Engine that will make its premiere on the 500 mini. The newest 0.9-liter twin-cylinder engine features turbocharging and Fiat’s Multiair technology that controls the intake valves, depending on the horsepower needed.

Fiat says that while the new engine offers the same performance as a larger naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine, fuel economy and, as a consequence, CO2 emissions are significantly improved.

In addition to the advantages in fuel consumption, the twin-cylinder engine is also said to be 20 per cent lighter in weight and more compact in size compared to a 4-cylinder engine with the same output.

The new two-cylinder engine is expected to be offered in two turbocharged variants developing 80HP and 105HP while Fiat will add a 65HP naturally aspirated version, also equipped with the Multiair system followed up by a CNG version.

The twin-cylinder engine will find its way on the Fiat Group’s A- and B-Segment models like the Fiat 500, Panda and Punto EVO.

All 2010 model year Fiat’s Pandas adopt the more contemporary body colored grille found on the 4×2 and 4×4 Dynamic variants, new alloy wheel options, larger exterior mirrors and silver trim finish for the roof bars. Fiat designers has also added four new and fresh exterior colors to the lineup.

In saloon, the instrument panel gets fresh graphics while there’s also a new selection of upholstery colors.

Mechanical improvements are limited to the introduction of a new 69 horsepower 1.2-liter engine. In Europe, customers have a wide choice of gasoline, diesel, natural gas and LPG engines with outputs ranging from 54 to 100 horsepower.

The Panda, which formed the base for the new Fiat 500 and Ford Ka models, was launched in 2003. Fiat has sold more than 1.5 million units of the mini hatchback.

Fiat introduced a facelifted version of the Grande Punto at the autoshow in Frankfurt. The new Punto, called Evo, gains a restyled front-end with a new bumper design that brings it closer to the 500 along with tweaked front and rear light clusters as well as a reworked rear bumper. These changes “stretched” the car’s length to 4,060mm.

The upgrades in the cabin are more noticeable as the dashboard, seats and instrument panel have been given a thoroughly restyled look that borrows from the C-segment Bravo hatch.

The 2010 FIAT Punto Evo will gets an updated range of petrol engines equipped with the MultiAir technology that uses a new electrohydraulic valve management system to reduce fuel consumption by controlling air directly via the inlet valves without using the throttle.

Prices are expected to be announced in the second half of October.