VW to roll out 313mpg car in Germany and UK

Last week at the Qatar Motor Show saw the world debut of Volkswagen’s XL1, a diesel-electric hybrid two-seater that can do 313mpg (0.9 l/100 km) and an announcement that the vehicle will enter limited production for the UK and German markets in 2013. If it proves popular, VW says it plans to increase production and sell in other countries.
May 18, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Last week at the Qatar Motor Show saw the world debut of 994 Volkswagen’s XL1, a diesel-electric hybrid two-seater that can do 313mpg (0.9 l/100 km) and an announcement that the vehicle will enter limited production for the UK and German markets in 2013. If it proves popular, VW says it plans to increase production and sell in other countries.

Conceptually, the XL1 represents the third evolutionary stage of Volkswagen’s 1-litre car strategy first unveiled 10 years ago. When the new millennium was ushered in, Prof. Dr. Ferdinand Piëch, who is now Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen AG, formulated the visionary goal of bringing to the market a production car that was practical for everyday use with a fuel consumption of 1.0 litre per 100 km.

The latest version of the car, which has staggered side-by-side seating for two adults and is capable of a top speed of 160 km/h (99mph), attains a CO2 emissions value of just 24 g/km, thanks to a combination of lightweight construction (monocoque and add-on parts made of carbon fibre), very low aerodynamic drag (Cd 0.186) and a plug-in hybrid system - consisting of a two cylinder TDI engine (35 kW / 48 PS), E-motor (20 kW / 27 PS), 7-speed dual-clutch transmission (DSG) and lithium-ion battery.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Nissan Unveils advances in connected car technology
    April 10, 2012
    Carlos Ghosn, Nissan Motor Company's chief executive officer, has unveiled initiatives in automotive communications technology intended to move Nissan and Infiniti into a leadership position in the connected car content and services market. In announcing the collaboration with companies such as Google, Pandora Radio and Intel at the New York International Auto Show, Ghosn said, "It's clear that consumers expect to be connected wherever they are, and that includes the time spent in their automobiles. To mee
    Read More
  • Smarter transport remains key to smart cities
    January 9, 2018
    Colin Sowman looks at some of the challenges and solutions that will provide enhanced transport efficiency in tomorrow’s smarter cities. However you define a ‘smart city’, one of the key ingredients will be an efficient transport system. As most governments and city authorities face financial constraints, incremental improvements in the existing systems is the most likely way forward. In London, new trains and signalling are improving the capacity of the Underground but that then reveals previously
    Read More
  • Using electricity to power road freight
    October 22, 2014
    Next year sees the start of the first real-life electrified road system for transporting freight. Worldwide freight transportation is predicted to double by 2050 but despite expansion of global rail infrastructure only one third of this additional freight transport can be handled by trains. This means that the largest proportion of freight transport will continue to be by road and as a result, experts expect global CO2 emissions from road freight traffic to more than double by 2050.
    Read More
  • Scale of Germany’s electromoblity plans revealed
    May 11, 2012
    In view of Germany's ambitious electromobility target - one million electric cars in use in 2020, compared to 4,500 e-cars nationwide at present - the automobile industry plans to offer more than 15 new electric vehicle models in the coming two years, according to the National Platform E-Mobility's (NPE Nationale Plattform Elektromobilität's) third report. First application fields for electrified cars could be car sharing models and public authority vehicle fleets.
    Read More

Highlighted Content