Volkswagen 'will build the XL1' - Piech

By Tim Pollard

Motor Industry

27 January 2011 10:30

Volkswagen will build the radical 313mpg XL1 eco cigar in 2013, Ferdinand Piech revealed at the Qatar motor show.

In an interview with Automotive News, the VW chairman said: 'We want to go into series production with this car starting in 2013.' He insisted it would go on sale to real people, not just as media demonstrators.

And VW chief exec Martin Winterkorn added the XL1 would be sold in Europe first, then be rolled into the US and Chinese car markets.

Winterkorn talked of a 'small production run' but other company executives hinted that an extremely limited run of around 100 cars was feasible at the group's Dresden or Wolfsburg factories.

The VW XL1 was unveiled earlier this week. It's the latest in a long-line of Volkswagen eco concept cars, and its diesel hybrid powertrain and lightweight composite construction mean it hits a theoretical 313mpg economy and a saintly 24g/km of CO2.

Click here for our full technical story on the XL1.