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Fresh details have emerged on the 2014 Mazda MX-5 and its sister car, the Alfa Romeo Spider. Although an agreement has been reached for Mazda to build the Alfa Romeo roadster on the next MX-5 platform, both cars will be offered with its own set of engines. Mazda plans to fit the upcoming MX-5 with a new naturally aspirated 1.6-litre SkyACTIV engine with an output of approximately 130bhp. Mazda is insistent that the new MX-5 will not go the force-fed route although there were turbocharged versions of previous generation MX-5. For the Spider, it will probably use Alfa's turbocharged 1.4-litre 'TB' engine rated at around 120bhp. The more powerful 1750 TBi may also be offered with output of up to 296bhp. Both cars will probably come fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard but a six-speed automatic with steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters could also be offered. Mazda intends to keep the size of the new MX-5 the same as the original version. New material and design will aid in the weight reduction while meeting the current crash regulations. The Hiroshima-based automaker hopes to achieve a curb weight of just 800kg.

Recent news from Fiat Spa..................Fiat Multiair Technology Announced - More Power, Less Fuel, Less Emissions. Check out here: Fiat Multiair Technology {qoute} With tougher emission standards on the horizon and consumers demanding even more fuel efficient models, Fiat has unveiled their new MultiAir petrol engine. The company considers the new powertrain to be one of the greatest advances in petrol engine design in recent years as the MultiAir offers more power, reduced fuel consumption, and lower exhaust emissions compared to conventional petrol engines. Given the company's history of using technological breakthroughs to improve both performance and efficiency in diesel engines, Fiat took a similar approach when developing the new MultiAir engine. In a conventional engine about 10% of the input energy is wasted in the process of pumping the air charge from a lower intake pressure to the atmospheric exhaust pressure. Fiat originally began looking into the possibility of reducing the wasted energy back in the 1980's but was only recently able to develop a new system that uses direct air charge metering at the cylinder inlet while maintaining a constant natural upstream pressure. The new system is extremely technical but in essence it works by a having a series of solenoid valves being turned on and off by the rotation of the camshaft. When the solenoid valves are activated, several different scenarios occur to optimize power and fuel usage. (A full overview of the how the system works is available in the press release) Among the many benefits of the new MultiAir engine is up to a 10% increase in power thanks to a performance-oriented mechanical camshaft profile, a revised intake valve closing system which improves low RPM torque by up to 15%, and a 10% reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions because of the elimination of pumping losses. More important is the fact that the new MultiAir engine can achieve up to an overall 25% increase in fuel economy compared to conventional naturally aspirated engines with the same level of performance. In the future, MultiAir technology could see its introduction on Fiat's diesel engines as it promises to offer up to a 60% reduction in NOx emissions and up to 40% reduction of CO2 emissions during cold starts and engine warm-up. {unquote} Enjoy the video clip.

[extract] Ferrari could be working on its own super-performance version of Fiat's Multiair valvetrain technology, which effectively allows the cam profile to be altered dynamically through hydraulic actuators. Leaked documents indicate that Ferrari is developing a high-performance V8 engine with the Multiair valvetrain arrangement. Ferrari laid out the system in two-dimensional illustrations, which may indicate Formula 1-like air control over the valves in addition to the Fiat

In the world of modern technology, downsizing is the word. I could recall that twenty years ago, the size of a handphone could make it double up as a self defense tool. Fast forward to the 21st century, a handphone could fit into your right pocket with ease and could perform functions beyond your imagination. Back to the automobile industry, the word 'downsizing' does not refer to the physical size of the car, but points to the capacity of the engine. The founder of this trend is none other than Volkswagen, whose renowned 1.4L twincharged direct injection engine has won the 'International Engine of the Year' award for 2009. Volkswagen is not alone these days. Fiat takes a further step and in my opinion, embraces the concept of miniaturization with its upcoming 900cc two-cylinder engine. The new powerplant is Euro5 compliant and makes use of Fiat's Multiair and turbocharing technologies. It will make its debut in the Fiat 500 come 2010, and other A and B segment vehicles in the firm's stable. Two variants of the engine will be launched, generating 80 bhp and 105 bhp respectively. They will be followed by a 65 bhp naturally aspirated unit and a version propelled by compressed natural gas, CNG. The two potter is lighter and more compact in design as compared to a 4 cylinder engine with similar power. The C02 emission and fuel consumption figures would probably bring a smile to the faces of the folks at Greenpeace. More importantly, such an engine would give the Singapore driver a reason to smile when it comes to road tax payment.