FRANKFURT, Germany — Alfa Romeo boasts that its new MiTo compact has the speed and handling expected from a sports car, with the added bonus of greater fuel efficiency - 10 percent more power with 10 percent less consumption.
That enticing performance is a selling point for Fiat, the parent company of Alfa Romeo. The new engine technology is called Multiair, which made its first public appearance at the Frankfurt Auto Show last week in Germany.
The technology is expected soon in Chrysler models now that Fiat controls the U.S. automaker after its trip through bankruptcy restructuring.
"This is a technological jump," Sergio Cravero, Alfa Romeo's chief executive officer, said at a presentation of the MiTo recently at Fiat's test track in Balocco, Italy.
Technology - which finds efficiencies by better controlling the flow of air during the combustion cycle - was the basis of Fiat's offer for Chrysler LLC, which included no cash. The industry is waiting to see how Chrysler management under dual Fiat/Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne will use Fiat designs and technology will play a role, but MiTo offers an example of what might be.
Fiat SpA has not said which models it plans to launch in the United States beyond the Fiat 500 compact or which ones might use Multiair, from its Fiat Powertrain Technologies division. But it has long said it wants to relaunch Alfa Romeo in the United States.Alfa stopped exporting to the United States in 1995 but there are still 80 Alfa Romeo clubs in the country, evidence of the affection for the upscale brand.
"We are doing verifications to determine the best strategy," Cravero said. By the end of the year, he ex-pects a decision on which Alfa Romeo models will be sold in the United States, as well as how the Multiair technology might be employed by Fiat in general.
"This is a technology available to our group, and we need to decide with our allies what to do," Cravero said.
Fiat's top-seller, the Punto, will sport the new technology in its latest evolution, the Punto Evo, which also was shown at Frankfurt.
Multiair can be adapted to all engines with some adjustments; especially with turbo charging, it can offer consumers both better emissions and strong performance, selling points as Chrysler seeks to boost its line of smaller, fuel efficient cars. In addition to decent acceleration and a top speed of 134 mph, MiTo hasa fuel consumption rating of 43.5 miles per gallon.
Analysts say Multiair is an important technology, but that it may fall somewhat short of Fiat claims.
"It is a technical revolution, and very impressive," said Andrew Close of IHS Global Insight. "But they haven't really revolutionized anything from a market point of view, or from a customer point of view."
"It is to some degree a competitive advantage for them, but it is not a complete game-changer as far as the success of Fiat goes."
But Close did say the technology is very relevant to Chrysler.
"It is going to get 10 or 15 percent fuel economy, which Chrysler needs. I think it is going to be part of a greater package that Fiat is offering to Chrysler."
The Alfa Romeo MiTo is being offered with a 1.4-liter,four-cylinder gasoline engine in three variants: 105 horsepower, 135 horsepower and 170 horsepower - the latter to follow the initial launch and which will go from 0 to 62 mph in 7.5 seconds.
MiTo goes on sale in Italy, Germany and France this month.
Business, Pages 21, 22 on 09/21/2009