Volkswagen has pulled the covers off its latest concept car at the Qatar Motor Show.
While the XL1 'Super Efficient Vehicle' might look like a 'car for 2010' that was designed in 1991, the technology beneath its slippery shape is right at the cutting edge and allows it to achieve combined-cycle fuel consumption of just 0.9 litres per 100km, while emitting just 24 g/km of CO2..
The secret to this car's super efficiency, says Volkswagen, are pioneering construction techniques that allow an incredibly low kerb weight, an advanced plug-in hybrid drivetrain and innovative packaging.
Powering the XL1 is a compact 800cc two-cylinder common rail turbodiesel engine developing 35kW, linked to an electric motor that's good for 20kW, resulting in a total of 55kW.
That may sound rather modest (only matching the entry level Polo Vivo that we know) but when you factor in the kerb weight of just 795kg, this car surely does have a fair performance potential. In fact, VW claims it'll dart from 0-100km/h in 11.9 seconds and reach 158km/h.
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 35km before the diesel engine cuts in.
In both its styling and packaging the XL1 draws on lessons learned from the 1-Litre car (2002) and the L1 concept (2009). The XL1 has evolved to feature staggered seating with the driver and passenger placed next to each other in a body structure made from advanced new materials providing immense strength yet weighing just 230kg.
To make such weight savings possible, and yet viable for series production, Volkswagen developed and patented a new system for the manufacture of the Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer parts on the car called the Resin Transfer Moulding process. Further savings are made through the extensive use of lightweight materials including magnesium wheels, ceramic brake discs and aluminium dampers, steering and brake calipers.
The styling of the XL1 is borne out of functional requirements - 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.
Although the XL1 is still very much a concept car, its unveiling marks the next step towards the birth of a new class of Super Efficient Vehicles, while the advent of a process such as RTM is a significant milestone that we are very likely to see more of in the future.