The turbocharged 0.9 litre TwinAir picked up the International Engine of the Year award last week and can already be found in the Fiat 500, Punto Evo, Alfa Romeo MiTo, and the all-new Lancia/Chrysler Ypsilon.
In the pipeline is a naturally-aspirated 60bhp (59PS/45kW), a dual-fuel petrol and CNG, and a 105bhp (104PS/78kW) variant. The lower-powered variant will feature as an entry-level engine in the upcoming Panda city-car, which will allow for lower the base price, better fuel economy, and lower CO2 emissions.
Fiat expects to produce around 100,000 TwinAir units this year, but its new plans mean the figure will rise to 250,000 in 2012.