Fiat's 1.3 litre MultiJet propels many cars across different brands worldwide. The brilliant diesel engine termed as the "national engine of India" has found its way to under the hood of more than a dozen cars. The engine is highly successful in the international markets as well.
Fiat has rolled out the five millionth 1.3 litre MultiJet diesel engine from the Fiat Powertrain Technologies' Bielsko-Biala plant in Poland. The milestone engine which has a power rating of 85 bhp would be powering a Fiat 500L, a model that isn't sold in India.
Introduced in 2003, the 1,248 cc 16 valve oil burner won the coveted "Engine of The Year 2005". The engine powers Fiat Group's global models like the Fiat Punto, Fiat Panda, Fiat Qubo, Fiat Doblò, Fiat Strada, Fiat Fiorino, Fiat 500, 500L, Chrysler Ypsilon and Alfa Romeo MiTo, apart from being used by various cars of other automakers.
In India Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, General Motors and Premier rely on this engine besides Fiat. The motor is available in two variants, one with a regular turbocharger while the other with a VGT (Variable Geometry Turbocharger). Globally MultiJet engines come with fixed geometry turbocharger having a power rating of 70-75 bhp while the ones with VGT put out 85-95 bhp.
The venerable 1.3 litre motor clubs decent performance with excellent fuel economy and that is why a major part of Fiat India's revenue comes from selling this diesel engine.
