Volkswagen to put the XL1 concept into limited production

Volkswagen chairman Ferdinand Piech was quoted at as saying in Doha, "We want to go into series production with this car starting in 2013," while Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn further explained that, "We will bring out the XL1 in Europe first, initially Germany. The U.S. and China will follow at a later date."

Volkswagen confirmed that the car will be offered for sale, and not just for development and testing purposes, with Volkswagen's development chief Ulrich Hackenberg saying that not more than 100 units of the XL1 will be produced. Hackenberg added that the XL1 will most likely be produced at Volkswagen's German factories in either Wolfsburg or Dresden.

The XL1 is Volkswagen's revolutionary 'one-litre car', so-called because it is able to travel up to 100km on just one litre of fuel. The two-seater concept is made from lightweight materials such as carbon fibre, to achieve its weight of just 795kg.

Additionally, the XL1 is powered by a plug-in diesel-electric powerplant, which consists of a lithium-ion battery pack, an electric motor, and an 800cc TDI diesel engine with 47bhp. According to Volkswagen, the XL1 is able to travel up to 35km on electric power alone, and is charged by plugging it into a standard household electrical outlet. The 0-100km/h sprint comes up in 11.9 seconds, and top speed is limited to 160km/h.

Piech said that as prices for materials such as carbon fibre are falling, the XL1 will not be as expensive to produce, despite having the second-most amount of carbon fibre parts for a Volkswagen Group vehicle, after the Bugatti Veyron. According to Piech, the carbon fibre body of the XL1 will cost just €5,000, while Hackenberg added that, "By 2013, the price of the lithium battery will come down to 200 to 250 euros."