Volkswagen is debuting a concept car at the inaugural Qatar Motor Show the manufacturer says can travel 313 miles on a gallon of diesel and emits only about 1.5 ounces of carbon dioxide per mile.
The XL1, which seats two adults, combines a 0.8 litre, two-cylinder diesel engine with an electric motor powered by a lithium-ion battery. It’s constructed around a carbon fiber reinforced polymer monocoque to reduce the weighs only 1,750 pounds.
Volkswagen says the futuristic car negotiate the standard 0-60 mph test in 11.9 seconds.
Speculation has Volkswagen beginning production of the XL1 in 2013.
Article Last Updated: August 22, 2021.
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A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004.
In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida.
An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.