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Fiat has planned a September 2009 release for the latest version of its Alfa Romeo MiTO. The 2010 MiTO will be the first Fiat vehicle to feature its MultiAir system along with Bosch’s Start/Stop system in a single body. Fiat Motor Group will sell the 2010 MiTO in 34 countries starting this fall to showcase its increasingly green line of sporty vehicles.
The Fiat MultiAir system is a valve timing system that controls injected air as well as combustion within the 1.4-liter turbocharged engine. The MultiAir system tracks the movement of each cylinder and stroke carefully to protect the driver from fuel waste. The electronic-hydraulic control system within MultiAir ensures that each injection of air can be completed without fiddling with the throttle. Fiat claims that the MultiAir system featured in the Alfa Romeo MiTO will decrease fuel consumption as well as greenhouse gas emissions. The Start/Stop system shuts off the turbocharged engine when the MiTO comes to a complete stop and restarts the engine electrically when the gas pedal is depressed.
The fuel efficiency and emissions statistics offered by Fiat make the Alfa Romeo MiTO sound attractive to drivers looking for a cleaner sports car. The Alfa Romeo MiTO is projected to increase fuel mileage and decrease carbon dioxide emissions by 10% over the traditional MiTO. Fiat is trying to reassure traditional consumers of Alfa Romeo by noting that the latest MiTO is 10% more powerful than the previous model. The MiTO’s green bona fides are sound if early tests are accurate with a 60% decrease in nitrogen oxide and a 40% reduction in carbon monoxide emissions over the traditional MiTO.
Alfa Romeo customers will have several options when purchasing the MiTO this fall. Fiat plans to offer the Alfa Romeo MiTO in five and six-speed manual transmissions to put the car’s power in the driver’s hands. The MiTO will be available with three power options ranging from the economical 105 horsepower to the more robust 170 horsepower. The infiltration of greener vehicle designs into a brand like Alfa Romeo bodes well for broader introduction of hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles worldwide. The percentages cited above may not be impressive based on Fiat’s past fuel mileage and emissions levels but these baby steps are necessary to reach higher performance plateaus in the future.
