Volkswagen XL1 Concept First Look

Volkswagen Group Chairman Ferdinand Piech loves extremes. He sells the world's fastest and most expensive "production" cars with Bugatti badges on them. He sells the quintessential "world" car in the form of the VW Golf. He expects to outsell Toyota worldwide by mid-decade.

Now, Piech's Volkswagen has combined state-of-the-art technology, from common rail diesel-supplemented plug-in hybrid power to carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer lightweight body material, to create the XL1. The concept consumes 0.9 liters of diesel fuel per 100 kilometers, the automaker says, which translates to an EPA fuel mileage figure of 261.3 mpg. That mileage equals 24 grams of CO2 per kilometer, VW says. Our CO2 converter converts 261.3 mpg to 0.30 pounds per mile. VW chose to unveil this car as part of an auto show in Qatar, the one part of the world where fuel efficiency isn't much of an issue.

All this tech is expensive and still pie-in-the-sky, of course, so don't expect this in your local VW dealership at Honda-competitive prices anytime soon.

The XL1's lightweight body is as big a deal as the powertrain. VW says it found a way to mass produce the carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) in "sufficient" volumes two years ago, and has improved the process since then. Total weight of the two-seat XL1 is 1,753 pounds, with 500 pounds of that accounting for the powertrain and another 507 pounds attributed to the body. Citing carbon fiber's use in Formula One cars (just about the last automotive frontier where VW Group isn't involved), Volkswagen says it provides for a high-strength monocoque in the XL1.

The car's A- and B-pillars, cant rails, and sills all are designed to absorb impact energy.

The 0.8-liter, two-cylinder TDI also has been designed for efficient mass production. It's half a VW European-market 1.6-liter common rail TDI as used in the Golf and Passat, and shares many of the four-cylinder's key features, including piston recesses for multiple injection and individual orientation for each of the injection jets. The two-banger gets its own crankshaft-turned-balancer shaft, and the engine is rated 47 horsepower. Exhaust gas recirculation, an oxidation catalytic converter, and a diesel particulate filter help the engine meet Euro-6 emissions standards, VW says. An externally driven electric water pump cools the TDI only when necessary.