Spacecraft Car - New Volkswagen’s XL1 diesel-electric hybrid

THE 313MPG CAR

IT looks like a spacecraft and its fuel economy is out of this world — meet the 313mpg car.

Aerodynamic ... Volkswagen's XL1 diesel-electric hybrid

Volkswagen’s XL1 diesel-electric hybrid could get you from London to Leeds on £4 of fuel.

The 800cc engine can take this aerodynamic motor from 0-62mph in 11.9 seconds and the top speed is 99mph.



Volkswagen has spent £1BILLION over 15 years to make it as light as possible to improve fuel economy. The body is carbon fibre reinforced plastic and the windscreen is the world’s thinnest.

The suspension is made of lightweight aluminium and the tank holds just ten litres.


Winging it ... our Ken at the wheel of XL1

The two-seater XL1, which can do 30 miles on electric, weighs in at 800kg — 400kg less than an average small family motor.

An average car of the same size does 45mpg.

It feels a bit like a cross between a sports car because you sit low, and a super-mini because it’s so easy to handle. VW plans to make just 250 to lease at £500 a month — the same as renting a VW Passat.

But Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, VW’s head of Research and Development, says the technology will appear in mainstream models in five years.

So you could be driving a 313mpg VW Golf by 2018 for a few thousand pounds more than its current £16,000 price.










More Pictures After The Cut