MILAN (Reuters) -- Fiat S.p.A.'s new Multiair technology, which cuts emissions from gasoline engines, could be used on Chrysler cars with very few changes, said Lucio Bernard, a director at Fiat Powertrain Technologies.

That could bring early benefits to the U.S. automaker from its deal to give Fiat a 20 percent stake in return for helping it produce smaller, cleaner cars.

"They are already discussing the use of Multiair for Chrysler," Bernard said at Fiat Powertrain's research center near Turin, Fiat S.p.A.'s home town in northwest Italy.

FPT is the Fiat unit responsible the production and development of engines, transmissions and axles.

"It is low-invasive hardware that can be applied to existing engines," he added.

Fiat first presented its Multiair technology in March and then sealed the deal to help turn around Chrysler at the end of April.

Breakthrough application

Fiat considers its Multiair variable valve timing technology a breakthrough application with the same potential impact as its 1997 common-rail diesel-injection technology. Fiat developed and patented common-rail engine technology but sold it to Robert Bosch GmbH in the early 1990s in the middle of a financial crisis.

Multiair is low-invasive hardware, says Fiat's Lucio Bernard. Photo credit: Reuters

The Multiair system gives direct control of air and combustion in engines, cylinder by cylinder and stroke by stroke without the use of the conventional throttle, which means it can save energy wasted in traditional systems.

Multiair "is a versatile technology, easily applicable to all gasoline engines," Fiat Powertrain says. It will be used in future on diesel engines -- but given the low use of this fuel in the United States, the key technology for Chrysler is that for gasoline.

"The main revolution is in the flexibility of the control of the air that the engine can take in," Bernard said.

"For the first time, we can optimize all the parameters together -- power, fuel consumption, torque and emissions."

The technology reduces fuel consumption, cuts emissions and at the same time increases power by up to 10 percent, Fiat Powertrain says.

Fiat Powertrain has patented the technology to get ahead of competitors and says that it could take rivals 2-3 years to understand the technology -- especially the software that runs the cylinders and valves.

Model engines with the technology at the research center make it all look remarkably simple.

The Multiair system looks like a shiny steel lego brick which contains the cylinders and pops neatly on top of the engine body.

"Very small changes are necessary to fit the Multiair," Bernard added.

Alfa first

Alfa Romeo was the first Fiat group brand to offer MultiAir on a 1.4-liter gasoline engine in its MiTo small car.

MultiAir technology will progressively spread out on all Fiat engines. The next application will come on a new 900c two-cylinder engine, which will equip mini- and small-segment cars.

Fiat Powertrain currently provides all Fiat's engines and also sells about 20 percent of its total 2.9 million units outside the Italian autos group.

It has 17 production plants and 11 research centers around the world.