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Fiat Powertrain has developed two versions of a 1.9 twin-stage turbo diesel engine, writes Charis Whitcombe. It will supply Saab with a version.

Dual-stage turbocharging is yet to reach the mass-market because of the cost and complexity of the systems. Fiat hopes the engine will change this.

Fiat Powertrain’s vice-president of product portfolio management Daniele Chiari said: “This is the first time we’ve introduced an engine without a specific application in mind. Our aim was to be a benchmark for power and torque density.”

The two versions of the engine have outputs of 132kW (180hp) and 140kW (190hp). Fiat is supplying Saab with the 132kW unit and is looking for other customers. The 140kW version will be used by Fiat Group; the first application is likely to be in the D-segment Alfa Romeo 159.

Engineers improved low-end torque by 50 per cent, compared to Fiat’s current 1.9 diesel. Peak torque is 400Nm at 2,000 rpm. The torque curve is flatter too – 300Nm is available at 1,250rpm.

Fiat increased the unit’s thermo-structural resistance to tolerate cylinder pressure of 180bar and exhaust temperatures of 800°C.