12 Sep 07
Fiat Punto Abarth
The Grande Punto Abarth has only just gone on sale, but already Fiat has revealed an upgrade: a booster kit for the 1.4-litre turbo engine which raises power from the standard 155bhp to just under 180bhp.
The Grande Punto Abarth Essesse (for 'super sport') show car in Frankfurt previews the kit, which will come as part of a package with lowered suspension, uprated brakes, sportier styling details and special decals and logos.
Fiat's other Frankfurt star is arguably of potentially greater impact: the Panda Aria previews fuel-saving and emissions-reducing technologies that will appear in production cars of the near future. It has a stop-start function to automatically switch off the engine when idling, reducing consumption by up to 10% in urban driving, as well as methane-hydrogen compatibility from its 80bhp 900cc two-cylinder petrol engine; carbon dioxide emissions are just 69g/km. Watch out for this engine in the 500 range, as well as in the even smaller Fiat that's on its way to be a miniscule rival for the Smart Fortwo, Toyota Endo and Volkswagen Up!
Fiat Panda Aria
The Aria also gets lighter-weight components and Pirelli tyres with low rolling resistance, as well as a trip computer which analyses the driving style and can advise on more fuel-efficient driving, such as optimum gearchanges.
Check out the rest of our Frankfurt Motor Show coverage
