The accolades gushed on Fiat for its new Fiat 500 are about to get gushier, when the company unveils the Fiat 500 Aria Concept at the Geneva Motor Show. This new concept is supposed to be even more environmentally friendly than the car it is based on, with a few innovations that might actually make it to the showroom.
Already with fitted with only Euro5 approved engines, the new concept has an engine producing less than a 100 g/km record value of CO2 emissions. This improvement is thanks to the 1.3 liter, 16valve multijet diesel engine fitted with an anti-particulate filter, and robotic Dualogic shift. The engine can be temporarily shut down in start-and-stop traffic, which also helps to reduce urban fuel consumption by 10%.
More conceptual engineering can be seen on the inside, where the interior of the prototype is mainly crafted from recycled material. Rubber from used tires makes up the floor, Matamata recycled leather lines the seats, with ecologically-friendly production methods used to make the polyester fabric inside.
Some neat ideas here, but we're waiting for an aluminum body made from used Coke cans.
Fiat 500 Aria Concept Debuts in Geneva
"Green" is the word
By Zack Newmark
February 19, 2008 7:32 PM
Filed Under: Concept Car, European, Fiat, Geneva Motor Show
Press Release (Click to expand)
Concept car 500 Aria
Geneva hosts the global premiere by Fiat Automobiles of the Concept car 500 Aria which furthers the exploration of new “ecological” frontiers in the automotive sector.
Manufactured on the base of the Fiat 500 – it's the first model in it's sector with the entire range of Euro5 Ready motors – the Concept car 500 Aria adopts all the latest generation gadgets or those which will be available soon, allowing a significant reduction of consumption and emissions. Specifically, thanks to the solutions applied, the vehicle accomplishes an important lowering of the CO2 with a record value of 98 g/km.
In detail, the prototype is equipped with a Diesel 1.3 16v Multijet Euro 5 powerunit (with anti-particulate DPF filter) combined with robotic Dualogic shift (distinguished by a transmission and control box with the best containment of consumption).
Furthermore, the vehicle proposes the innovative Stop&Start system which allows to control the temporary switch-off of the engine and it's subsequent ignition, typical of urban journeys. In particular, uniting the Stop&Start system and the Dualogic shift, around a 10% (urban cycle) reduction of the consumption is obtained. Furthermore, it is worth underlining that all the solutions presented here are an integral part of a development process which, already in 2008, will bring some of the contents on the normal production vehicles.
The prototype's interior foresees the use of recycled materials, for example, the recycled rubber used for the floor is composed by rubber granules deriving from used tyres, “anchored” together with polyurethane binders. The seats have been upholstered with recycled and woven leather (called “mataleather, and supplied by the Matamata company) whilst the fabrics - guaranteed by the Ecolabel brand – are in polyester and in a particular design similar to the raffia palm with natural whirls (supplied by the Apollo company).
“Mataleather” is born out of the re-use of leather amalgamated with natural lattice and subsequently worked in sheets like real leather. The “DNA” Braided leather (the material used on the 500 Aria) is worked on until it forms a textile of real ecological leather, composed only by natural re-used fibres.
In regards to the textiles, Ecolabel is the European eco-quality brand that rewards the best products from an ecological point of view – the whole life-cycle is taken into account – whilst maintaining at the same time high performance standards.
Lastly, some important interior components – from the samplers to climate control and the control shield, down to the panel fittings – are made in materials composed by thermoplastics and natural fibres.
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