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The Volkswagen XL1 Super Efficient Vehicle (SEV) - a successor to the single-seat L1 concept of 2009 - has two seats and diesel-hybrid power. Volkswagen says the Polo-sized concept is not for production. But its technology will filter down to production cars.
Shown at the Qatar Motor Show, the XL1 is a composite two-door car with steel used in only 23 per cent of its construction. The 800cc 35kW two-cylinder diesel gets up to 0.9 litres/100km and emits just 24g/km of CO2. By comparison, a Corolla emits 174g/km.
The electric motor produces just 20kW but the car is brisk - 0-100km/h in a respectable 11.9 seconds and a top of 158km/h - thanks to the vehicle's low 795kg weight. The diesel-hybrid power unit is linked to a seven-speed DSG gearbox.
The electric motor can either work independently of the TDI engine or in tandem when accelerating. Volkswagen says that in pure electric mode the XL1 can travel up to 35km before the diesel engine cuts in.
In both its styling and packaging the XL1 draws on lessons learned from the 1-Litre car (2002) and the L1 concept (2009). It has evolved to feature staggered seating with the driver and passenger placed next to each other in a body structure made from advanced new materials providing strength yet weighing just 230 kg.
Volkswagen says that to make such weight savings possible "and yet viable for series production" it has developed and patented a new system for the manufacture of the Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) parts on the car called the Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM) process.
In total the XL1 weighs 795 kg. In addition to the body structure, the weight is accounted for by the drivetrain (227 kg), the running gear (153 kg), the interior including a pair of bucket seats (80 kg) and the electrical system (105 kg). In total just 23.2 per cent of the car (184 kg) is made out of either steel or iron.
Further savings are made through the extensive use of lightweight materials including magnesium (wheels), ceramics (brake discs) and aluminium (dampers, steering system, brake calipers). The styling of the XL1 is borne out of functional requirements.
It has scissor doors that hinge on the A-pillar while the profile of the car has been shaped by wind tunnel to produce a coefficient of drag figure of 0.186.
"Although the XL1 is still very much a concept, its unveiling marks the next step towards the birth of a new class of Super Efficient Vehicles, while the advent of a process such as RTM is a significant milestone," Volkswagen says.
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