2012 Fiat 500 TwinAir On Sale In Australia From February

Fiat distributor Ateco has confirmed a February debut in Australia for the upgraded 500 and 500C models, with both picking up Fiat's new TwinAir engine.

The two-cylinder 875cc engine will replace the current Australian-market 500's 1.4 litre four-cylinder engine.

Power for the TwinAir engine is rated at 63kW and 145Nm, meaning output is down by 11kW but torque is up by 14Nm. The 500's 0-100km time is little changed, moving from 10.5 seconds to 11 seconds.

Fuel consumption has fallen by a full 2.0 l/100km, from 6.1 to 4.1 l/100km on the combined cycle. Those numbers show that despite its smaller size, the new engine delivers more torque while guzzling less fuel. 

And in Australia, In the new engine will make the 500 the greenest petrol-powered car on the market, matching the hybrid Lexus CT 200h's 4.1 l/100km and besting the Suzuki Alto's 4.7 l/100km.

Pricing for the new models won't be released until launch, but Fiat Australia GM Andrea Zaitzev said today that buyers should not expect any major changes to the current pricing.