If you want tomorrow’s car today, you’re going to have to pay for it. Volkswagen has announced that the ultra-futuristic XL1 will sell in the UK for more than £98,000.
The first XL1 was delivered to a German customer in May, with UK buyers now lined up to take a share of the 200 that are due to be built.
The incredibly rare machine, built with unparalleled aerodynamics and a tiny two-cylinder diesel engine, can achieve 313mpg on average in combination with emissions of only 21g/km.
In fact, it’s so efficient that it takes just 8.3bhp to push it along at 62mph on a flat road surface in still air. Overall the 800cc diesel engine can produce 27bhp powering an electric motor which then links directly to the wheels through a modified seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.
To aid aerodynamics even further, the XL1 even ditches door mirrors in favour of tiny cameras, which beam live footage to screens inside the cabin.
The overall drag coefficient is a fish-slippery 0.189, compared to 0.27 for an average Volkswagen Golf, which itself is very aerodynamically efficient.
