News from a year ago but when this 261 MPG VW becomes a reality, I'm in.
261 MPG Volkswagen XL1 Production Confirmed, Debuts Geneva
Low weight--only 1,752 lbs--means only a small engine and electric motor is needed to deliver respectable performance. Much of the car is constructed from carbon fiber, aluminum and titanium.
VW says the car will do 261 mpg, though the real figure will be lower than that should it ever be tested under EPA guidelines. Even so, it'll still use comfortably less fuel than any vehicle currently on sale.
A diesel engine of only 0.8 liters and 2 cylinders capacity produces 47 horsepower, with a further 27 horses delivered by the electric motor. Power reache the wheels via a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox.
Those figures sound miniscule by modern standards, but the XL1 should reach 62 mph in12.7 seconds. Top speed is 98 mph.
Operating alone, the small battery can deliver up to 31 miles of range, and can be charged via plug or regenerative effect.
Sounds like a marvel of engineering. And it sports 47 HP's. That is much more than my first car, a 1956 VW, with only 30 HP. And hat car took me all over Germany, over "Gross Glockner Pass" to Italy, Yugoslavia, and Greece!