(image source | NY Times)
The green theme of the Frankfurt auto show was consistent through-
out the first news media day, and it reached its pinnacle at about noon, when Volkswagen introduced “the most fuel-efficient automobile in the world.”
No one argued.
Calling it, the L1 concept an automobile is something of a stretch, although it does seat two and moves on four wheels. But that’s where convention ends.
The bullet-shape L1 — perhaps the first-generation Honda Insight reinvented? — sips diesel to the tune of 1.4 liters per 100 kilometers (61 miles). It is a hybrid, and the diesel engine is supplemented by an electric motor. The carbon fiber-reinforced body shell weighs only about 280 pounds, and the whole car checks in at about 650 pounds, thanks to its aluminum brakes, carbon-fiber wheels, titanium hubs and ceramic bearings. The fuel tank — tank, indeed — holds just 1.7 gallons of fuel.
The L1 is incredibly small. In photos, it looks like a car. In the metal, it has the appearance of a small plane, to which someone forgot to attach the wings and a tail. Walter de Silva, Volkswagen’s head of design, says the shape “redefines classic and aesthetic vehicle traits. All of its moving parts are integrated so accurately that the body resembles a rocket or jet.”
Ergonomically, the interior offers a 180-degree view of the instruments and controls, and a round start button doubles as a shift lever for the seven-speed Direct Shift Gearbox transmission. For the display screen in front of the driver, VW uses high-contrast OLED (organic LED) technology.
VW says that the L1 hybrid will be available in 2010, in limited numbers.
(image source | Telegraph UK)
(image source | Telegraph UK)
Source | NY Times
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