2008: 500 Aria
At the Geneva Show of 2008, we displayed as a world preview a concept car called 500 Aria that reflected ground-breaking ecological progress in the automotive sector. Built on the Fiat 500 platform, this concept car adopts all the devices, whether newly developed or soon to become available, that permits significant improvements in terms of fuel economy and reduced emissions, with abatement in CO2 level of 98 g/km. The 500 Aria is equipped with a 1.3 16v MultiJet EURO 5 diesel engine, fitted with a diesel particulate filter (DPF) and a Dualogic robotised gearbox (marked by gear ratios and a control unit working to logics geared to maximum fuel economy). Moreover, it proposes the innovative Start&Stop system whereby the engine is turned off during stops at idling speed – as are typical of city routes – and then is restarted automatically. From the combination of the Start&Stop system and the Dualogic gearbox we get an improvement in fuel economy of ca 10% in the urban cycle. Moreover, the new prototype is equipped with the eco:Drive system that monitors your driving style and provides advice on environment-friendly driving. All the solutions adopted in this prototype are an integral part of a development process that will transfer some of these contents to standard production cars within two years. The interior of the 500 Aria will use recycled materials, e.g., rubber for the floor, leather for the seats and polyester for the upholstery.