2-seater Volkswagen L1 Concept consumes just 1.38 liters of diesel per 100km travelled!

A German paper managed to get a scoop on a rather interesting concept car that Volkswagen plans to show at the Frankfurt show that’ll open in just a few days time. This concept car is supposedly called the Volkswagen L1 Concept and guess what its rated fuel consumption is – 1.49 litres per 100km! Most people are calling it a 1 litre car, which it actually is not, but nevertheless a “1.49 litre car” is still impressive.

It’s a small 3,800mm long two seater car and you sit in it in tandem – which means the driver at the front and the passenger behind him or her. The L1 Concept is powered by a twin-cylinder diesel engine mated to a 7-speed twin clutch transmission. It’s only got 29 horsepower but at a kerb weight of 380kg, that’s more than enough. CO2 output is rated at just 39g/km.

UPDATE: We now know more information about the new L1. The official fuel consumption has been rated at 1.38 litres per 100km. The 800cc two-cylinder diesel engine is essentially half of Volkswagen’s BlueMotion 1.6 TDI engine and it makes 27 PS (39 PS in “sports mode”) and 100Nm of torque at 1,900rpm, but is assisted by a 14 hosepower electric motor powered by a lithium ion battery situated at the front of the car. The hybrid unit sends power to the wheels via a 7-speed DSG transmission.

The electric motor sits between the TDI engine and the DSG gearbox. This sounds like a motor assist system but the motor is capable of running on its own as a zero emissions EV with the TDI shut off via decoupling from the TDI with an auxiliary clutch. When its time for the TDI unit to be restarted, this electric motor acts as a start-up generator.

To retain the L1’s aerodynamic shape, door mirrors have been eliminated. While they’re at it, they also took out the rear view mirror though since it is inside the car it doesn’t improve aerodynamics. Instead, functions of both the door and rear view mirrors have been replaced by cameras which send images to OLED displays on the left and right of the instrument panel. There are no doors – the passengers get in from the top.

The L1 is built around a safety cell made out of carbon fiber reinforced plastic, which itself weighs only 124kg. If you add everything else in, the L1 tops out at 380kg kerb weight, which is pretty damn light. The weight is well acounting for – 122kg goes to teh drivetrain, 79kg for the chassis, 35kg for the interior furnishings, and 20kg for the electricals. The L1 measures 1,200mm wide, 3,813mm long and 1,143mm tall, which Volkswagen says is similiar to the length of a Volkswagen Fox and the height of a Lamborghini Murcielago.

Look after the jump for more shots of the L1.

[zenphotopress number=99 album=487]

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Paul Tan

After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

Comments

  • droll on Sep 15, 2009 at 7:03 am

    will the future of the end consumer be filled with single-purpose vehicles? one for long distance drive (like the one above, running on diesel), and one for intra-city use (perhaps a hybrid or EV)?

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  • must likely! makes more sense that.. two diff type of vehicles that excel in diff ways..

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  • Ariff on Sep 15, 2009 at 8:39 am

    wow!!now i'll know how to "drive" a fighter plane.lolz!!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Mpower on Sep 15, 2009 at 8:51 am

    the lights reminds me of bimmer..

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  • Littlefire on Sep 15, 2009 at 4:20 pm

    Already expected that diesel hybrid is more efficient compare to petrol hybrid..

    If VW mass produce this technology, we can say bye bye to honda & toyota hybrid..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • the end of era for petrol-hybrid…the diesel-hybrid make more sense

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  • put 2 mid-sized men in it u already increase its weight by around 50%

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  • i can imagine the top coming or hinging off like those of fighter planes.

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  • CocoBear on Sep 16, 2009 at 2:04 pm

    It is not a car. It is a scooter on 4 wheels.

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  • AIMAN MALAYA DESIGN on Sep 19, 2009 at 9:26 pm

    cmment my sketches on my blog=AIMAN MALAYA DESIGN

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