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Volkswagen XL1 production car - front three-quarter view

After years of rumors, development and testing, the Volkswagen XL1 is finally about to become a reality. The project that began life as a daring 1-Liter concept car in 2002, will finally get its production-ready curtain call at the Geneva Motor Show in just a few weeks.

As soon as it hits the streets, the two-seat XL1 will instantly become the most fuel-efficient and most aerodynamic production car in the world. The car uses a plug-in hybrid system to achieve mind-blowing consumption of just 0.9 liters of diesel fuel consumed every 100 kilometers (and average of roughly 261 miles per gallon). Plus, the XL1 can go up to 50 kilometers on its battery power alone. Coefficient of drag is a miniscule 0.189, thanks to a tiny frontal area and an obviously slippery shape.

XL1 power comes from a 47-horsepower, two-cylinder diesel motor connected to a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, while the 20 kW (27 hp) electric motor is fed by a lithium-ion battery. Both combine to give the XL1 performance figures that are, while not stirring, not shabby considering its extreme frugality: 0-62 miles per hour comes up in 12.7 seconds and top speed is nearly 100 mph.

There's still no word as to how many examples of the XL1 Volkswagen plans to build, nor how much the company intends to charge for each. The press release does mention that the car will be constructed using "handcrafting-like production methods" though, so we're guessing that it won't be cheap or ubiquitous - not by a long shot. Early rumors had a six-figure price tag attached, suggesting the XL1 be viewed as more of a green halo supercar for VW than a volume proposition.

Scroll down to read a bit more about the Volkswagen XL1 in the attached press release and be sure to check back for our Geneva coverage of the car.

Continue reading Volkswagen's 261-mpg hand-built XL1 headed for Geneva

Volkswagen's 261-mpg hand-built XL1 headed for Geneva originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Feb 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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