VW green lights 235-m.p.g. concept car
Ultimate fuel miser
Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press
To attend his last business meeting before retiring as VW’s CEO in 2002, Dr. Ferdinand Piëch drove himself in VW's One-Litre concept car.It was designed simply to be the most fuel efficient car on the planet, and on his drive he used just 0.89 L/100 km (or 317 mpg). With today's high fuel prices, many other solutions have come to the forefront of the alternative energy/fuels segment, ranging from plug-in hybrids and pure electric cars, to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, but for a car to achieve this while powered solely by an internal combustion engine is the stuff of dreams. But a dream car it's not anymore, because according to British automotive magazine Car, the 1L VW is now headed to production.
According to the article, much of what we saw in the concept car will be converted into production trim. Its body will be ultra low and streamlined with a tandem seating arrangement, and will be constructed from a combination of carbon fibre, plastic and magnesium in order to keep weight down to a minimum. VW is aiming to keep the curb weight as low as 300 kg (660 lbs), which will help the car to meet its target goal of 1 L/100 km (235 mpg), much like the concept car.
What will change from concept to production is the engine. VW is seeking to double the cylinder count in the production version from one to two, which will boost performance, however, by making the vehicle a mild hybrid, VW hopes to recuperate some of the difference.
Due to its extremely costly structure, the car is pegged to be produced at VW’s preproduction facilities, which has the capacity to build up to 1,000 units per year. The One-Litre car won’t be cheap, with an estimated price range between 20,000 and 30,000 euro, but such is the price for the ultimate fuel miser.
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