Doc1647545523 Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r445/martyr65/vw-l1-car-concept2.jpg The news is sort of old, but I didn't find it on CR anywhere--sorry if it's a repost. The Volkswagen L1, scheduled for arrival on U.S. shores in 2013. One liter diesel hybrid twin, two seater, gets around 160 mpg, range of over 400 miles, top speed of 100 mph. Unveiled last fall as a concept car, VW reports it is production-ready. The prototype got over 180 mpg, but VW has backed-down on that claim for the production version. This is going to be looking especially appealing if gas is $5/gallon by then. Link has photos and a nifty 2-minute video: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/18/vw-l1-hybrid-most-efficie_n_291257.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hwilli1647545487 Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 Any idea on a price point yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc1647545523 Posted January 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 I haven't found anything on price, Howard, but in 2010 dollars, I would expect it to be around 30k. There's not much material in this thing, but "carbon fiber reinforced plastic" doesn't sound cheap to me. I'm basing my SWAG estimate on what Honda claimed they spent on building Insights and also on the price Toyota gets from a Prius. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 I remember seeing/hearing about this thing, and I like it alot. Like a 1st-gen Insight, but simpler and with better fuel economy. WAAAAY better than a Smart car. :thumbup: Another work-friendly link... http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/14/frankfurt-2009-volkswagen-l1-concept-the-most-fuel-efficient/ When you think about it, why are we pushing two-abreast seating positions for commuter cars that 99% of the time only see one person at a time? That's a lot of wind resistance and packaging for carrying nothing but air at 55mph+ down the highway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotCarl Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 Holy shit could they make it a bit bigger for people that are older than 12 years old?! Im sure the seating position is very reclined and sits inches off the ground but the whole care barely came up to a woman's waste in the video. It almost looks too narrow to seat to people comfortably, I wish they wouldve shown some interior shots in the video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc1647545523 Posted January 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 Holy shit could they make it a bit bigger for people that are older than 12 years old?! Im sure the seating position is very reclined and sits inches off the ground but the whole care barely came up to a woman's waste in the video. It almost looks too narrow to seat to people comfortably, I wish they wouldve shown some interior shots in the video. Here's a few stills: http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r445/martyr65/slide_2749_38373_large.jpg http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r445/martyr65/2009_Volkswagen_L1_concept_01_500.jpg From my experiences with the Lotus, let me tell you that part of the fun is watching the ingress/egress attempts by young ladies: http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r445/martyr65/500x_Volkswagen_L1.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Jones Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 +1 For Diesel-Electric hybrids. F the electric car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc1647545523 Posted January 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 Hey, Ulrich, it's not how you stand by your car, it's how you race your car. http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r445/martyr65/standbycar.jpg It would have been jocose to have watched these three attempt to pile into the car at the show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 +1 For Diesel-Electric hybrids. F the electric car. +1. Amen to that one, brother. I used to be a huge Volt fan, but without battery technology improving, I'll settle for a simpler hybrid. For example: Ford Fusion Hybrid FTW. No real change in sedan utility/performance, no huge increase in price yet honest-to-goodness MPG benefits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Jones Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 Dont' get me wrong, it would take hell or high water to get me to buy a hybrid, IE: Gas prices more than double, I'd say 6-6.50/G might be incentive enough..maybe. I would definately consider switching the fleet to Diesel, we just need the rest of America to catch up. Anyone remember the Top Gear where they drove various diesel cars some crazy distance. You can beat the shit out of a high performance sedan and still get 35mpg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dover Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 I'd feel like Maverick in that and me and Goose are out in the danger zone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farkas Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 I'd feel like Maverick in that and me and Goose are out in the danger zone. That's exactly what I was thinking... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc1647545523 Posted January 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 I'd feel like Maverick in that and me and Goose are out in the danger zone. And this would be a bad thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTQ B4U Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 They need to make a stretch version and put three rows. One for each kid and then me. I mean minivans rarely get used unless we ALL go out anyway. And when it's just the wife and me, she can't stand to ride up front, so it puts her in the back where she wants to sit. When you think about it, why are we pushing two-abreast seating positions for commuter cars that 99% of the time only see one person at a time? That's a lot of wind resistance and packaging for carrying nothing but air at 55mph+ down the highway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schmuckingham Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 Doc, damn you like weird looking cars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87GT Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 +2 for more diesel cars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dover Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 And this would be a bad thing? lol well no but i hope to not find in 'Mig's' out on 270 with that fighter! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRed05 Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 By the time this thing makes it over here, it would have so many extra things on it for it to pass American standards that it would get like 30mpg. It is a diesel, and everyone knows diesels are dirty, smelly and noisy. I'd take one though, looks like a smooshed R8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.