At the first international Qatar Motor Show, Volkswagen reveals the XL1 Concept, the latest in their line of Super Efficient Vehicle (SEV). And let’s cut straight to the chase, it does 0.9L/100 km on the combined cycle! CO2 emissions? that’s 24 g/km. These numbers are too fancy but VW has been developing this technology since 2002.
– The fuel consumption is 313 MPG, or 261 if you measure the American way.
VW XL1 Concept is a two-door coupe with a shape that’s familiar for those who have seen the previous examples the L1 and the first 1 liter model that needed 1 liters of fuel every 100 km. The XL1 is powered by a compact 800 cc TDI two-cylinder common rail diesel engine developing 48 PS. It’s linked to an electric motor producing 27 PS, resulting in a total of 75 PS.
That makes the XL1 a hybrid. It has a low kerb weight of 795 kg. The TDI engine is linked to an electric motor and a seven-speed DSG gearbox with an automatic clutch mounted between each unit. The electric motor can either work independently of the TDI engine or in tandem when accelerating. In pure electric mode the XL1 can travel up to 35 km before the diesel engine cuts in. Accelerating from rest to 62 mph can be achieved in 11.9 seconds; the electronically limited top speed is 99 mph.
The XL1 is an experimental vehicle and will not be produced, not in the next 50 years at least, but there’s nothing too complicated about it. They could make it if they wanted to. The XL1’s overall length (3,970 mm) and width (1,682 mm) are similar to those of a Volkswagen Polo yet its height (1,184 mm) is more akin to that of a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder.
Easy access to the interior is granted via a pair of elegant scissor doors that hinge on the A-pillar while the profile of the car has been honed in the wind tunnel, the result being a remarkable coefficient of drag figure of 0.186. For the sake of light weight, the XL1 features magnesium (wheels), ceramics (brake discs) and aluminium (dampers, steering system, brake calipers).
Evolution of Volkswagen’s Super Efficient Vehicle class: technical data
| XL1 (2011) | L1 (2009) | 1-Litre (2002) | |
| Body | |||
| Construction method | CFRP monocoque and add-on parts | Aluminium and CFRP | Magnesium and carbon fibre |
| Dimensions: length, mm width, mm height, mm wheelbase, mm |
3,888 1,665 1,156 2,224 |
3,813 1,200 1,143 n/a |
3,470 1,250 1,000 2,205 |
| Drive system | |||
| Type | Plug-in hybrid Rear-wheel drive |
Plug-in hybrid Rear-wheel drive |
Diesel Rear-wheel drive |
| Internal combustion engine | TDI, two-cylinder 800 cc 35 kW / 48 PS, 120 Nm |
TDI, two-cylinder 800 cc 39 PS, 100 Nm |
Single cylinder 299 cc 8.5 PS, 18.4 Nm |
| Electric motor | 20 kW / 27 PS, 100 Nm | 10 kW / 14 PS | n/a |
| Gearbox | 7-speed DSG | 7-speed DSG | 6-speed automated |
| Battery | Lithium-ion | Lithium-ion | n/a |
| Emissions class | Euro 6 | Euro 6 | n/a |
| Weight | |||
| Kerb weight | 795 kg | 380 kg | 290 kg |
| Performance / fuel economy | |||
| Top speed, km/h | 160 (electronically limited) |
160 (electronically limited) | n/a |
| 0-100 km/h, secs | 11.9 | 14.3 | n/a |
| Fuel consumption, l/100 km / mpg (Ø NEDC) |
0.9 / 313 | 1.38 / 189 | 0.99 / 285 |
| CO2 emissions, g/km (Ø NEDC) |
24 | 36 | n/a |
| Range: E-drive | 35 km | n/a | n/a |
| Range: TDI + E-drive | approx. 550 km (10 litre fuel tank) |
670 km (10 litre fuel tank) |
650 km (6.5 litre fuel tank) |
