VW Bulli production hopes dead, 313-mpg XL1 coming next year

Volkswagen had a lot going on at this year's Paris Motor Show, including, it seems, dishing to Britain's What Car? about some product plans.

VW board member Ulrich Hackenberg has gone on record saying that the Bulli concept van, as shown at the last Geneva Motor Show, is not currently planned for production. That runs counter to recent reports that the German company was considering a vehicle in the small CUV segment that a Bulli might fill, though it doesn't discount the earlier rumor entirely. Hackenberg cites a shortage of demand for a production Bulli as the reason for the project getting shelved. Love for the original Microbus remains high both inside VW and in the public at large, but it remains to be seen if nostalgia alone can be counted on to drive unit sales for something wearing the Bulli's unique shape.

Less surprising is word that VW is going forward with a production version of its groundbreaking XL1 – which makes sense, as we've already seen prototypes in spy photos. The two-seat, 300-plus-miles-per-gallon car is reportedly earmarked to go on sale in limited numbers. Where, and exactly how limited those numbers are remains to be seen.