Fiat Eco: Drive Proves It's A Christmas Cracker!

It's official: Fiat's eco:Drive is no turkey. Figures just released by Fiat show that the thousands of European motorists who have been using the fuel-saving advice device since its launch in October, have already saved more than 163,000kg of carbon dioxide.

And that seasonal success is equivalent to cooking 294,228 Christmas dinners!

Launched by Fiat at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, eco:Drive is a free-of-charge tool that helps drivers understand the impact of their driving style on fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

Using a USB memory stick plugged into the car's dashboard, eco:Drive records detailed information about the vehicle and how it is driven, which is then uploaded on to a computer. It provides an analysis of the driver's performance, along with suggestions on how to improve efficiency further by improving driving methods.

"Fiat eco:Drive offers real benefits and its already helping drivers in Europe to improve their driving efficiency, enabling them to save fuel and reduce their impact on the environment," says Lawrie Malatios, General Manager for Fiat in New Zealand. "In 2009, when it starts arriving on cars in New Zealand, Fiat drivers here will also be able to enhance their contribution to helping the environment - something they are already doing by driving cars from a low emission range that includes the lowest fuel consumption car in Australia, the Fiat 500 JTD."

Drivers using eco:Drive can become part of eco:Ville, an environmentally-friendly on-line community. Members have used it to offer ideas and feedback over the last three months, which Fiat has responded to - already the company has released four enhanced versions of the system.

Fiat eco:Drive is an upgrade to the highly popular Blue&Me telematics system already fitted in New Zealand to selected Fiat 500 and Bravo models and there are plans to further widen the scope of the technology across the entire car range and even into commercial vehicles.

ENDS

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