The ultra-rare XL1 hatchback was conceived as the world’s most fuel-conservative passenger car burning less than a liter of diesel per 100 kilometers (USA: 235 miles per gallon).
The car comes manufactured almost completely out of carbon fiber and weighs about as little as possible for a road-legal model. Its drag ratio of 0.186 Cx is by far the lowest by production vehicle standards – if you are generous enough to call it a production car. Only 250 units have been pieced together, out of which Volkswagen reserved 50 for testing purposes and sold the remaining 200 starting from €110,000.
Power comes from a 0.8-liter two-cylinder diesel engine rated at 48 PS (47 hp / 35 kW) and an electric motor adding 27 PS (27 hp / 20 kW) of its own. The papers claim a fuel consumption of about 0.9 liters per 100 kilometers (235 MPG), which translates into roughly 500 kilometers (310 miles) of actual driving with 10 liters of diesel fuel in the tank.
The example on sale was among the last to roll off the lines, and is being sold for the first time on record. It has around 19,500 km (12,116 miles) on the counter since 2015 and underwent some restoration and complete maintenance at a VW factory in Wolfsburg, Germany, after a minor road accident. Its current location is in the Netherlands, and the bidding has reached €41,000 so far.