All the work Volkswagen has put into creating the ultra-frugal XL1 will not go to waste on a car that will only ever sell in the hundreds.
The expertise obtained will be funneled back into VW’s mainstream models, and according to a recent report, the next-gen Golf will be one of the first to take advantage.
Autocar informs us that the eight generation of the iconic hatch, which is set to debut in 2019, will have is CO2 emissions (for the entire range) cut to “well below 90 g/km.”
The source suggests that in order to achieve the significant efficiency improvements it desires, VW will seriously rely on radical and innovative aerodynamics solutions. Weight will also have to come down further, to around (or under) 1,100 kg or 2,425 lbs.
This will be made slightly challenging by the fact that it will be using the same MQB platform the current generation uses, but a series of other innovations will also be employed towards the same mean. A flywheel that drives the wheels, variable compression engines, electric turbo-/superchargers among others – all these pieces of tech are relatively new now, but by the time the new Golf is launched, they will most likely have been made commercially viable.
By Andrei Nedelea
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