Volkswagen XL1 is World's Most Fuel Efficient Car at 261-MPG

Colum Wood
by Colum Wood

Looking like nothing else currently in production, Volkswagen has today revealed what will easily be the most bizarre model to hit the road. It will also be the most fuel efficient, with a claimed 261 mpg rating!

The third stage in VW’s goal of building a 1-liter car, the XL1 (as its known) is the fruition of a plan to design a production car for everyday use that can travel 100 km on just 1 liter of fuel. With the two-seater XL1, Volkswagen says, “this vision has become reality.”

SEE MORE: 2013 Geneva Motor Show Preview

Set to make its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show next month, the XL1 is powered by a 47 hp two-cylinder turbo diesel-engine mated to a 27 hp (20 kW) electric motor and a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. The unique powertrain enables the car to travel up to 50 km (31 miles) on pure electric power, with acceleration to 62 mph rated at 12.7 seconds.

Weighing just 1,753 lbs, the unique vehicle offers space for a driver and passenger who sit slightly offset, similar to a conventional vehicle. Both driver and passenger will, however, sit tremendously low to the ground with the car’s roof just 45 inches off the ground.

Volkswagen will debut the XL1 at the Geneva Motor Show on March 5th, along side the new Golf GTD.

GALLERY: VW XL1

Colum Wood
Colum Wood

With AutoGuide from its launch, Colum previously acted as Editor-in-Chief of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine where he became a certifiable car snob driving supercars like the Koenigsegg CCX and racing down the autobahn in anything over 500 hp. He has won numerous automotive journalism awards including the Best Video Journalism Award in 2014 and 2015 from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Colum founded Geared Content Studios, VerticalScope's in-house branded content division and works to find ways to integrate brands organically into content.

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  • Stephen Marcus Colmar Stephen Marcus Colmar on Mar 04, 2013

    Be a nice start if the US would start selling European engined models with 50+mpg instead of a TDI with less than 40mpg

  • Gasgas Gasgas on Mar 06, 2013

    So you spend $100k on the car and zero of fuel. In eight years the battery will be cream crackered and will cost $20,000 to replace. You could also pay $15k on an ordinary car that does 40 to the gallon and then you have $85k to spend on fuel. You can get a lot of fuel for $85k even if daddy doesn't own a couple of oil wells. You won't have to pay for a new battery and long before the fuel money has run out, the car will be 20 years old and you can get a new one out of the change from the $85k.

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