You really have to appreciate what photographers go through sometimes to bring us spy pictures of future models.
It’s one thing standing on the side of the Nürburgring waiting for testers to run by, and another when you’re doing so in an arctic climate at temperatures as low as -30 Celsius / -22 Fahrenheit, as was the case with this Volkswagen XL1 pre-production prototype.
Unless something has changed in VW’s plans, we expect to see the XL1 diesel-electric hybrid model being presented in its final form this year, possibly at the Frankfurt Motor Show, though, we won’t rule out another event just yet.
The production version of the innovative concept that measures 3,888 mm (158-inches) long tipping the scales at a healthy 795kg or 1,752 lbs, is motivated by a 47hp (48PS) 0.8-liter turbocharged twin-cylinder diesel engine coupled to a 27HP electric motor, a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission (DSG) and a lithium-ion battery.
VW claims that the plug-in hybrid car will be able to return 0.9lt/100km, equal to 261 mpg US and 313 mpg UK, or to be precise, MPGe (Miles per gallon gasoline equivalent), since the consumption figure is a result of the use of both the internal combustion engine and the battery.
Photo Credits: CarPix for CarScoop
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