| Gone are the days of our automobiles running 5-6 | | | | dimensions. While the length of the L1 at 3,813 |
| kilometers per liter of fuel, Volkswagen is preparing to | | | | millimeters is still similar to that of a Volkswagen Fox, |
| unveil the much hyped Volkswagen L1. The | | | | and its height of 1,143 millimeters nearly matches that |
| Volkswagen L1 marks a milestone in the history of the | | | | of a Lamborghini Murciélago, the car's |
| automotive industry, this "bullet car" has received the | | | | aerodynamically optimized width (1,200 millimeters) has |
| moniker the "1-liter car" because it is able to run 100 km | | | | no comparisons in the world of today's production |
| on a single liter of gas or 235 mpg, an unheard of | | | | cars. |
| distance in today's market. CO2 emissions of the 160 | | | | In total, the Volkswagen brand is represented by |
| km/h fast concept car are just 39 g/km. | | | | seven world premieres at the 2009 International Motor |
| Volkwagen L1 Hybrid Concept Car | | | | Show in Frankfurt. Along with the E-Up! and L1, they |
| The key feature behind the Volkswagen L1's low | | | | include the Polo Three-Door as the new entry-level |
| energy consumption converting to the increase in | | | | version in the Polo model range, new BlueMotion |
| mileage is the Volkswagen L1's extremely | | | | versions of the Polo, Golf and Passat with record fuel |
| aerodynamic and lightweight construction, shaped like a | | | | economy and the Golf R as the highest performance |
| bullet (hence bullet car), with a slightly different seating | | | | Golf ever produced. |
| arrangement placing two occupants in a row enabling | | | | Even so, the L1 looks refined and close to series |
| the extremely low profile design. The Volkswagen L1's | | | | production, which couldn't be said of the 2002 concept. |
| body is composed of lightweight carbon fiber and | | | | It could be on the market as soon as 2013, |
| aluminum allowing it to tip the scales at a mere 838 | | | | Volkswagen sources tell us. The L1 may seem ironic |
| pounds | | | | to those who remember that VW is also responsible |
| The L1 can reach 100 mph, but fuel economy at that | | | | for Bugatti, which makes the fastest production car in |
| speed drops to a pitiful 1.38 liters per 100 kilometers, or | | | | the world, the Bugatti Veyron, and which just unveiled |
| 170 mpg. | | | | the W-16 Galibier sedan concept. But if you think about |
| 'It is an enormous challenge to control costs in | | | | the styles of both Piëch and current VW |
| producing the monocoque out of CFRP,' says Dr. Ulrich | | | | chairman Martin Winterkorn, this contradiction seems |
| Hackenberg, member of the Board of Management | | | | logical: These guys both tend to go to extremes. And |
| for the Volkswagen Brand with responsibility for | | | | we submit that the Volkswagen L1 is a more |
| development. Both technically and visually, the CFRP | | | | significant step in saving resources than are heavy |
| body is already considered a significant achievement in | | | | gasoline-electric hybrids. |
| car design. Unique on this car are the proportions of its | | | | |