September 15, 2009 in Business

Volkswagen plans electric car

Fiat also boasts new models at Frankfurt Auto Show

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Associated Press photo

A Smart electro drive car hangs from a column on the Frankfurt fairground Monday, a day before the International Car Fair IAA opens first to the media and two days later for the public.
(Full-size photo)

FRANKFURT, Germany – German carmaker Volkswagen AG said Monday it would unveil several new models at the Frankfurt Auto Show, including an electric car called the E-Up.

At a reception before the start of the show Monday evening, the company said the E-Up compact would likely only go into production in 2013 and approach production levels of its other popular cars only by 2020.

The company said the front-wheel- drive car’s lithium ion battery will have 18 kilowatt hours energy capacity, enabling a driving distance of around 80 miles, depending on driving style.

“One of the basic milestones on this timeline is the mass-produced electric car,” CEO Martin Winterkorn said in a statement.

He said only in high volumes and on all continents could one truly speak of the beginning of the electric age in automobiles and a perceptible reduction of their environmental impact.

“The concept car now being presented in Frankfurt very realistically shows how we envision such a Volkswagen with pure electric drive – technically, visually and with regard to a practical size,” Winterkorn said.

The company will also unveil other models that include more of its Blue Motion technology as well as new hybrid technology.

Also at the auto show, Alfa Romeo boasted 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 the selling point for Fiat’s new engine technology called Multiair, which is making its first appearance in the MiTo at the show this week. Expect to see the technology soon in Chrysler models now that Fiat controls the U.S. automaker after its trip through bankruptcy restructuring.

“This is a technological jump,” Alfa Romeo CEO Sergio Cravero said at a presention last week of the MiTo at Fiat’s test track in Balocco.

Technology – which finds efficiencies by better controlling the flow of air during the combustion cycle – was the basis of Fiat’s offer for Chrysler LCC, 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 brand.

Multiair can be adapted to all engines with some adjustments; especially with with turbocharging, 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 has a mileage rating of 43.5 miles per gallon.

Analysts say the Multiair is an important technology, but that it may fall somewhat short of the revolution that 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.”

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