Extraordinarily fuel efficient as in 0.9 l/100 km ( roughly 111.1 kpl)! The two door, diesel-hybrid is the third stage of evolution of what started as the the L1, Prof. Dr. Ferdinand Piëch’s effort at a highly fuel efficient car. The first was unveiled in 2002, the second in 2009 and this year, 2013, the XL1 is expected to go into production. The XL1 is far more practical than its predecessors thanks to a seating arrangement where the occupants are almost side by side instead of being one behind the other.
The XL1 can put out such staggering numbers thanks to low weight (795 kg), perfect aerodynamics (Cd 0.189) and a low centre of gravity (1,153 mm high), principles underlying the design of a performance car, says Volkswagen. The powertrain consits of a two-cylinder TDI engine churning out 48 PS, an electric motor adding 27 PS all transferred to the wheels through a 7-speed dual clutch gearbox (DSG) and a lithium-ion battery. The Volkswagen XL1 emits just 21 g/km of CO2.
Haven’t yet got your fix of the numbers? Well here’s more. The XL1 can hit a top speed of 160kph, reach 0-100 in 12.7 seconds and can cover a distance of 50km using just the electric motor. The XL1 can manage a constant speed of 100kph using just 8.4 PS! The is 3,888 mm long, 1,665 mm wide and just 1,153 mm tall. As long and wide as a Polo, but shorter than a Porsche Boxster! Add the gull wing doors into the mix and whoa you have a car nobody can take their eyes off!
The soon-to-be most aerodynamic production car in the world ( uh-oh Mercedes-Benz CLA) will be produced by handcrafting-like production methods at Volkswagens Osnabrück plant in Germany. While the statement isn’t exactly clear on what those methods are, expect the XL1 to cost a lot more than your average hatchback.