Fiat has just been honoured with another award for its innovative eco:Drive technology – picking up Auto Express’s Special Award at the magazine’s New Car Awards 2009 this week.

Fiat’s eco:Drive system is designed to save fuel and reduce exhaust emissions. It allows drivers to download a record of their driving style from car to computer with a USB memory stick, and shows them how to reduce their impact on the environment.

Launched by Fiat last year, and available on www.fiat.co.uk/eco:Drive, this free-of-charge award-winning system helps motorists understand the impact of their driving in terms of fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, and offers suggestions on how to improve efficiency further by changing driving habits. Eco:Drive is currently available on an ever-increasing number of Fiat cars, including Fiat 500, 500C, Grande Punto, Bravo and Qubo.

In recognising the significance of Fiat’s eco:Drive technology, Auto Express comments: “complex fuel-saving technology is all very well, but everyone knows that the key to achieving good economy in any car is the driver. That’s why we couldn’t ignore Fiat’s clever eco:Drive computer application this year. Using the manufacturer’s Blue&Me USB interface, it allows motorists to download telemetry from their vehicle, just like a Formula One racer does – only the aim is to help drivers improve their efficiency rather than their pace. The free set-up is already being used by 40,000 Fiat owners and is credited with saving a staggering 910,000 kg-plus of CO2. The eco:Drive software supplies a stream of information, and measures everything from fuel economy to CO2 emissions to calculate your economy index. It then provides helpful advice on how to improve your score and sets you a target for your next download. Improvements of up to 15 per cent are claimed for the system, simply by changing motorists’ habits behind the wheel. This innovative product is designed to improve economy and reduce CO2 output, but the system also helps to cut fuel bills – and in the current economic climate, that’s something everyone can appreciate.”