The best we’ve been able to suss out thus far is that the Volkswagen XL1 will be expensive. Like six-figure, “as much as a nicely detailed Audi A6,” expensive (we’re assuming that Audi bit is European pricing). Given that this is a hand-built, hyper-aerodynamic, plug-in-diesel vehicle – and one that VW will only make 250 of – it’s not at all surprising that it’ll be a ride for the upper class. Thanks to a report in Wirtschafts Woche, we finally have a potential price tag for the 261-mpg car: 111,000 euros, or a little over US $146,000. VW tells Wirtschafts Woche that there should be plenty of demand for the car at that price from collectors and enthusiasts, even though we heard earlier that the car will likely be available for lease only.
The XL1 gets its name from the fact that it uses less than one liter of fuel to go 100 kilometers (using one liter would be equivalent to 235 mpg). Thus far, VW has built 50 of the slippery little things and plans on making another 200 for delivery in the spring of 2014 before ending the project. “The car is more a lighthouse than a business model,” VW’s Ulrich Hackenberg told Wirtschafts Woche (translated). We got to drive the XL1 earlier this year – you can read all about that here.
