Natural Gas powered Fiat Grande Punto-Newest from Fiat

This car is a valid candidate for the Indian market-The Fiat Grande Punto Natural power, has been unveiled by the Italian company.

It's a car powered by a new dual fuel (gasoline/methane) engine (a classic example of flex-fuel engine)

1000 km is how long it can run before it stops for fuel. When running on methane, the car is able to cover 310 km with the tank filled to its full capacity of 84 liters. This record-breaking figure is increased by the 45 liter gasoline fuel tank capacity: this means that the Grande Punto Natural Power can go on endlessly once both the methane and petrol tanks are brimmed.

The new model also offers a 1.4 8v Fire (the same one on the Indica Vista) unit that is already compliant with the EURO5 emissions directive and offers low CO2 emissions (115 g/km) that allow customers access to the maximum state incentives. Power drop is marginal and its unlikely that you would notice it in the city cycle.

This car will likely stay Euro-only because although the Fiat Group has announced Alfa Romeo’s return to the U.S., it has not yet announced any Fiat cars are coming. A low-volume natural gas powered car would probably not be a wise first entry compared to the 500. So India is a good candidate for get the LPG/CNG version if there was any, but methane? You got to be kidding. No methane in India for now, but methane is very close to CNG as the graph shows.

Press release

Fiat proudly presents the Grande Punto Natural Power, a new dual fuel (petrol/methane) version that confirms the brand’s commitment to the field of environmental protection. This substantial commitment is reflected by Fiat’s indisputable leadership in the field of cars with methane engines as original equipment (OEM): during the period January-August 2008 some 43,000 methane-driven Fiat vehicles were sold in Italy compared with 33,000 during the same period in 2007.

We should not forget that Fiat is the first and only manufacturer to offer, in its “Natural Power” range, a wide array of vehicles with methane-petrol dual fuel systems able to meet the mobility requirement of an extensive category of users: Multipla Natural Power, Punto Natural Power, Panda Panda Natural Power, Panda Panda Climbing Natural Power and Doblò Natural Power. Now comes the turn of the Grande Punto Natural Power, a new dual fuel car that sets standards of absolute excellence in several areas.

Firstly, a methane-driven Grande Punto proves itself to be a valid financial alternative to cars that run on conventional fuels (diesel and petrol) that are increasingly subject to rising prices. Suffice it to say that in Italy, for example, EUR 12 buys a full tank of natural gas and it costs just EUR 3.8 to cover 100 km.

Another virtue of the new model is its extraordinary range: when running on methane, it is able to cover 310 km with the tank filled to its full capacity of 84 litres. This record-breaking figure is increased by the 45 litre petrol tank capacity: this means that the Grande Punto Natural Power can be driven for more than 1000 kilometres without refuelling. So once you have a full tank you can drive with peace of mind, and in any case it is increasingly easier to refuel with natural gas because the network of service stations is extensive and continuously expanding (the number of service stations in Italy currently stands at 630).

The new model also offers a 1.4 8v Fire unit that is already compliant with the EURO5 directive and offers low CO2 emissions (just 115 g/km) that allow customers access to the maximum state incentives (EUR 2800 and 3 years of car tax if scrapped). The promotional launch price will start from EUR 12,300, complemented by 6 years of interest-free finance (offer valid to 31 December 2009).

Because Grande Punto Natural Power marks an important step forward in dual fuel cars technology, we have decided to introduce it at an original event that reflects Fiat Automobiles all-round commitment to the environment. The press presentation has been designed in accordance with the principles of “Impatto Zero®”, an innovative project by LifeGate (an eco-cultural platform that is the chosen partner of companies who are serious about sustainable development) that is putting the aims of the Kyoto Protocol into action for the first time in Italy: reducing carbon dioxide emissions and compensating for them by planting new forests.

In detail, Impatto Zero® quantifies the environmental impact of businesses, companies, products and individuals, calculating emissions of carbon dioxide and greenhouses gases and the equivalent amounts in Kg of CO2. It then compensates for the emissions by reforestation and the protection of woodland areas in Italy and throughout the world. Since 2002, more than 450 companies have chosen to sign up to the LifeGate scheme in Italy and they have now been joined by Fiat Automobiles, which has calculated the environmental impact of the Grande Punto Natural Power launch event and compensated for it by planting 6,668 m2 of forest in the Ticino Natural Park.