VOLKSWAGEN XL1 REVEALED AHEAD OF GENEVA SHOW DEBUT

Volkswagen has confirmed that its XL1 Super Efficient Vehicle, the most fuel-efficient production car in the world, with a fuel consumption value of 0.9 l/100 km (approx. 313 mpg) will go into production at the company’s Osnabrueck factory in Germany.  Thanks to its plug-in hybrid system, the two-seater can also cover a distance of up to 50 km in all-electric mode and therefore with zero local emissions.

The XL1 from Volkswagen is the most fuel-efficient production car in the world, with a fuel consumption value of 0.9 l/100 km. Thanks to its plug-in hybrid system, the two-seater can also cover a distance of up to 50 km in all-electric mode and therefore with zero local emissions.

Most aerodynamic car ever

Efficiency of pure design principles. The XL1 is an automotive hero that follows pure sports car 
design principles: low weight (795 kg), perfect aerodynamics (Cd 0.189) and a low centre of gravity 
(1,153 mm high). This gives the efficient Volkswagen the ability to cruise on the road at a constant 
speed of 100 km/h using just 6.2 kW/8.4 PS. In all-electric mode, the XL1 requires less than 0.1 kWh 
to cover a driving distance of over one kilometre.  

Efficiency and driving fun

Electronically limited to 160 km/h. High-tech lightweight design, perfect aerodynamics 
and a plug-in hybrid system – consisting of a two-cylinder TDI engine (35 kW/48 PS), E-motor 
(20 kW/27 PS), 7-speed dual clutch gearbox (DSG) and lithium-ion battery – all make it possible 
for the new Volkswagen XL1 to emit just 21 g/km of CO2

If necessary, the XL1, with a top speed of 160 km/h, can accelerate to 100 km/h in just 12.7 seconds. Clearly, 0.9 l/100 km fuel consumption is a record figure that has not been achieved by any other vehicle to date, and it illustrates how 
Volkswagen is redefining what is technically feasible in carmaking.

Third evolutionary stage of a vision

2002, 2009, 2013. Conceptually, the XL1 represents the third evolutionary stage of Volkswagen’s 
1-litre car strategy. When the new millennium was ushered in, Prof. Dr. Ferdinand Piëch, who is today 
Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen AG, formulated the visionary goal of bringing 
to market a production car that was practical in everyday use with fuel consumption of one litre per 
100 km. In the two-seat XL1, this vision has become reality. Despite the tremendous efficiency of 
the XL1, developers successfully came up with a body concept, which delivers more everyday utility 
than in the two previous prototypes. While the driver and passenger sat in a tandem arrangement 
for optimal aerodynamics in the L1, the 1-litre car presented in 2002 and in 2009, in the XL1 two 
occupants sit slightly offset, side by side, nearly as in a conventional vehicle.

Shorter than a Polo, lower than a Porsche Boxster

 Future in the present. The XL1 is 3,888 mm long, 1,665 mm wide and just 1,153 mm tall. By usual 
automotive standards these are extreme dimensions. For comparison: a Polo has a similar length 
(3,970 mm) and width (1,682 mm) but is significantly taller (1,462 mm). Even a purebred sports 
car like today’s Porsche Boxster is 129 mm taller (1,282 mm). So, the XL1 will make a spectacular 
appearance – a car of the future, built today