You have to hand it to the VW Group for bringing wild ideas into production, be that the 1,200-horsepower Bugatti Veyron, or the super-frugal Volkswagen XL1 that made its world premiere today at the 83rd Geneva International Auto Show.
The compact-sized and lightweight plug-in hybrid promises to return a fuel-economy of 0.9 l/100 km or the equivalent of 261 mpg US / 313mpg UK, with CO2 emission of just 21g/km. Just keep in mind, though, that these figures include the use of the battery that can power the car for up to 50 kilometers in pure electric mode.
Under the aerodynamic body made in part from carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) with a Cd rating of just 0.189, the XL1 sports a plug-in hybrid system consisting of a two-cylinder TDI engine 47hp (35 kW / 48 PS), an electric motor 27hp (20 kW / 27 PS), a 7-speed dual clutch gearbox (DSG) and lithium-ion battery (capacity: 5.5 kWh).
The powertrain enables the two-seater model to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) in 12.7 seconds and reach an electronically limited top speed of 160 km/h (100mph).
The swing door XL1 will be hand built at VW’s Osnabrück plant in Germany in a limited production run, which is not expected to surpass 1,000 units annually, with pricing to be announced.
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