2014 Volkswagen XL1

The Volkswagen XL1 has been in development for over 10 years now with the first prototype being introduced in 2003. This car is the answer to Ferdinand Piëch’s challenge of building a car that could travel 100 km for every 1 liter of fuel. Over those ten years the prototypes got better and better until it reached where it is today. This is considered the third evolutionary phase of this vehicle built for the future. Due to a very low curb weight (795 kg), a very fuel efficient drive train and low drag aerodynamics the XL1 is capable of 260 miles-per-gallon combined.

The Volkswagen XL1 is the third stage of development of the 1-liter car project. A goal was made by VW to market a production car that was practical for every day use and had the fuel consumption of one liter of fuel for every 100 km. The first prototype of this car using these design perimeters was the 1-liter Car Concept shown in 2003. A new revised design of this car was shown in 2009 as the Volkswagen L1 Concept. Both of these concept cars were not ideal because of small storage compartments and unusual tandem seating where the passenger sits behind the driver.

In 2011, The XL1 was introduced at the Qatar Motor Show with more conventional side-by-side seating of the driver and passenger. A limited production run started in 2013 and mass production looks like it could be right around the corner. Volkswagen says this car was built for the future but is available today. The appearance of the XL1 is heavily influenced by its unique dimensions 3,888 mm in length, 1,665 mm and only 1,153 mm in height. This car is even lower than the Porsche Cayman making it have a low and sleek look almost like a super car.

Performance

two-cylinder TDI diesel engine that produces 48 horsepower and 89 pound-feet of torque. The electric motor develops 27 horsepower and 74 pound-feet of torque. The transmission mated to the diesel engine is a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox. The battery used to power the electric motor is a lithium-ion unit. Details about the capacity of the battery pack have not yet been released but we do know that the all-electric range is 22 miles on a full charge. The XL1 can accelerate from zero to 62 in 12.7 seconds and can reach a top speed of 99.4 mph.