Volkswagen XL1 Spied: The Hypermiler Becomes Reality

Volkswagen is producing a small series of its XL1 "1-liter car," its nickname referring to the fuel (1 liter, or .26 gallons) needed to travel 100 kilometers (62 miles). The ultra-efficient two-seater will be launched in the 2013 calendar year, VW confirms. Spy shots that recently surfaced show a low, aerodynamic coupe whose shape somewhat resembles a first-generation Honda Insight's—but the VW is much lower and far more radical. If this car looks almost identical to last year's Qatar auto show concept, that's because it is. There are virtually no changes, and the real car, like the concept and the XL1 prototype we drove, will be powered by a two-cylinder turbo-diesel engine that makes 48 hp and an electric motor producing 27 hp; the power is transmitted to the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The XL1 is a plug-in hybrid, with lithium-ion batteries storing the electric energy. VW's Qatar concept provides accurate indication of the XL1′s performance. It returns 261 mpg in the European cycle and can run 22 miles as a pure electric. Fuel economy drops as the batteries are depleted, but total range with a full fuel tank of 2.64 gallons is around 340 miles. This stunning fuel economy does not come at an unacceptable price in terms of performance. Zero to 60 mph takes 11.9 seconds, while top speed is governed at 99 mph – leaving, say, a Nissan Leaf far behind. The Qatar concept is only the latest in a remarkable line of fuel-efficient concepts. There was the 2002 "1-liter car"—a tiny vehicle with tandem seating, powered by an 8.5-hp, 300-cc one-cylinder diesel. At the 2009 Frankfurt auto show, VW launched the L1 concept car, powered by a two-cylinder 39-hp TDI. It looked far more refined than the first concept, but the narrow, cigarlike concept kept its unusual tandem seating configuration. The Qatar auto show in 2011 saw the XL1, with the driver and passenger seated next to each other – and this is the car now going into production. For historic background, there was another Volkswagen project, the "two-liter car," studied in the late 1990s; it never made it into production, as the company was then unable to create a class-A body finish on the carbon-fiber panels. And the Lupo 3L TDI "3-liter car" was actually sold to the public in disappointingly low numbers. The efficient nature of the new XL1 is due to its aerodynamics, its powertrain, and its lightweight construction with a carbon-fiber monocoque and carbon-fiber panels. The concept vehicle's weight is quoted at around 1750 pounds; its drag coefficient is 0.186. The series-production car will remain extremely close to these figures. VW won't talk about prices; it is likely the car will only be available to lease, just like the GM EV-1 or the Honda FCX. What we do know is that the car is currently being built in Germany in an extremely low-volume run of "50-plus-X" units. We hear that a second run of between 500 and 1000 units is under consideration. from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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