Volkswagen has announced that its XL1 Super Efficient Vehicle will go into production at the company's Osnabruck factory later this year.
And with VW claiming that the XL1 will be capable of 313mpg and 21g/km of CO2, this will make it the most fuel-efficient production car ever made.
We told you about the XL1 way back in 2011 when it was merely a concept, but if we're being honest we didn't really think VW would ever realistically consider putting it into production. After all, virtually every car manufacturer since the beginning of the time has spent huge sums of money fannying around designing super-efficient concepts that never see the light of day. Volkswagen therefore deserves a great deal of credit for putting the XL1 into production.
Under the futuristic bodywork, the XL1 is fitted with a 47bhp 0.8-litre diesel engine and a 27bhp electric motor which together provide, erm, 74bhp. The electric motor is fed from a 5.5kWh battery pack which provides enough juice for 31 miles of pure-electric running.
74bhp might not sound like an awful lot these days but the XL1 weighs just 795kg. As a result, 62mph arrives in 12.7 seconds and a limited top speed of 99.4mph is achievable.
The key to XL1's efficiency is its low drag coefficient of just 0.189. By comparison, the new Mercedes CLA -- which was recently claimed to be the world's most aerodynamic car -- manages a drag coefficient of 0.22. VW has also fitted skinny tyres to minimise drag and has even eschewed traditional door mirrors in favour of more aerodynamic e-mirrors which project a virtual image into the cabin.
There is no word yet on how much the XL1 will cost when, and if, it goes on sale in the UK.
| ALSO OF INTEREST... | ||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||
Related used car searches
Search used Volkswagen
