Monday, 19 March 2012

"Volkswagen XL1" Prototype Caught Completely Undisguised

Back in 2009, Volkswagen promised the world that it would produce a car that would only need one liter per 100 km, with the carmaker presenting the L1 concept. Since then, the German company has been working full throttle to bring the car close to production. Last year, VW presented the Formula XL1 concept and in February this year the company confirmed that the 1-liter car would enter limited production. Now, spy photographers have caught the vehicle with absolutely no camouflage, proving that the company is determined to bring it to the road in 2013, as it was previously intended. We are talking about a car the size of a VW Polo, but which is seriously lower, uses a coupe layout and gullwing doors. Inside, we have a more conventional cabin layout - the previous projects showed a tandem seating layout. As for the tech side, only 23 percent of the car is made out of steel or iron, with the rest using special materials to keep the weight low. To be more precise, the vehicle tips the scales at 795 kg (1,750 lbs). Power comes from a hybrid powertrain, which mixes a two-cylinder, turbocharged diesel unit with a displacement of 800 cc, which produces 47 hp and is mated to a DSG double clutch gearbox, to an electric unit. The latter delivers 27 hp and can offer an all-electric mode or work together with the petrol unit. VW promises a fuel efficiency of 0.9 liters per 100 km (261 mpg) and CO2 emissions of 24 grams per km. As for the performance, the top speed sits 100 mph (160 km/h) and the 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) sprint is covered in 11.9 seconds.

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