Volkswagen says the 0.9 L/100km diesel-electric XL1 concept could see limited — very limited — production within two years.
The Germans unveiled the super-efficient Volkswagen XL1 at the Qatar auto show recently, showcasing some of its most forward-thinking technology with a promise to offer the car in small numbers.
“We want to go into series production with this car starting in 2013,” VW Chairman Ferdinand Piëch told Automotive News Europe. VW boss Martin Winterkorn said the car will be offered in Germany first, then throughout Europe. The United States and China “will follow at a later date,” he said.
The XL1 is the most practical and refined of the company’s 1-litre cars, so named because the goal was to develop a car capable of traveling 100 kilometers on a litre of fuel. It is the third iteration of a project launched in 2002.
It features a 36 kW two-cylinder diesel engine displacing just 800 cc. It’s bolted to a seven-speed DSG gearbox and mated to a 20 kW electric motor drawing power from a lithium-ion battery of undisclosed size. The plug-in hybrid has an electric range of 34 km and fuel consumption of just 0.9 liters per 100 kilometers. It emits 24 grams of CO2 per kilometer — compared to the 89 grams emitted by the Toyota Prius.
All that hardware is wrapped in carbon-fibre polymer bodywork attached to a carbon-fibre monocoque. Extensive use of aluminum, magnesium and other exotic materials keeps the weight to just 771 kilograms.
When VW unveiled 1-litre cars in the past, it said the car could be built by 2012 or so. But cost has always been the limiting factor – these cars are packed full of expensive technology and even more expensive materials.
But Piëch tells Automotive News that costs have come down significantly, making production feasible. For example, the carbon fibre body of the first-gen 1L car cost EUR 35 000. The body for the XL1 cost EUR 5 000. VW expects the lithium-ion battery to cost EUR 250 to 300 by 2013.
That said, no one at VW would say what the XL1 will cost if and when it sees production. Ulrich Hackenberg, director of development for VW, said production could be limited to 100 vehicles to start.
It’s safe to say the car won’t be cheap, especially at volumes that low. But then this car almost certainly isn’t meant for the mass market. It will be a halo car, intended to show what is possible and showcase some of VW’s most advanced technologies and materials.
In that regard, it will be much like the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf (and the amazing Porsche 918 plug-in hybrid) — cars with a small initial market but the potential to influence many subsequent models.
For example, the XL1’s drivetrain is a natural for the VW Polo since the two vehicles are roughly the same size. And it isn’t hard to imagine the XL1’s carbon polymer bodywork being used on the Audi eTron electric vehicle, or the R8 for that matter.
Although Winterkorn said the XL1’s initial production run will be “small,” Piech said the cars definitely will be offered for sale and not limited to test fleets or demonstration programs.
