Updated 6/27/2014: Volkswagen has announced that the XL1 is ready for launch, and the first car was delivered to a German buyer in May 2014. It is also now available in the UK at £98,515 ($167,736 as of 6/27/2014) on the road.

The model will be unveiled next month at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show and the first production batch will consist of just 50 units, with any other unit being developed on demand.

On the exterior, the model remains pretty much identical to the concept unveiled at the 2011 Qatar Motor Show, including those cool gullwing doors. Still, the car is a little bit better than VW hoped, because its fuel consumption goes down to an impressive 0.9 liters per 100 kilometers, or 261 U.S. mpg.

Volkswagen ’s dream of developing a 235-mpg car (1 liter per 100 kilometers) has finally been realized, as the new XL1 will be making its world debut at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. To make things even better, the first details have been released today. Volkswagen describes it as "a spectacular appearance – a car of the future, built for today."

Update History

Updated 02/21/2013: This review has been updated with the official details, images and specs.

Updated 07/11/2013: The new Volkswagen XL1 will make its British debut at the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed. With this occasion, Volkswagen unveiled a series of new images and a new video for the XL1.

Exterior

The production version of the new Volkswagen XL1 brings no major surprises, because almost every detail was already revealed by the concept version and the prototypes that we caught testing. The XL1 features a body made entirely in carbon-fiber reinforced polymer and will adopt the classic "tear drop" shape and is only 1,282 mm (50.47 inches) high.

The XL1 is characterized by electrically controlled air intakes, new headlamps with LED technology and fully covered rear wheels to prevent drag. To make it look even cooler, Volkswagen has also installed scissor-opening doors. The model will also remove the traditional wing mirrors and replaced them with small cameras called e-Mirrors which transmit exterior images to interior displays.

Dimensions

Length 3,888 mm (153.07 inches) Width 1,665 mm (65.55 inches) Height 1,282 mm (50.47 inches) Weight 795 kg (1752 lbs) Coefficient drag 0.189

Interior

Few changes have also been made on the inside and the biggest one is the seat arrangement. In the concept version the two occupants sat in a tandem arrangement, but in the production version the two occupants sit slightly offset, side by side, nearly as in a conventional vehicle.

The XL1 can also haul a small amount of cargo, thanks to a 120-liter (4.23 cubic-foot) trunk.

Drivetrain

The most amazing part of the new XL1 is its hybrid drivetrain that combines an 800 cc two-cylinder TDI engine that delivers 48-horsepower with an E-Motor that adds another 27 horsepower and a 7-speed dual clutch gearbox (DSG). The E-motor takes its power from a lithium-ion battery and allows for a driving range of 50 kilometers (31 miles) in all-electric mode.

The model will sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 12.7 seconds and can hit a top speed of 160 km/h (100 mph); all this while delivering an astounding fuel economy rating of 313 mpg and a CO2 emission of just 21 g/km.

Prices

The 2014 Volkswagen XL1 starts out at £98,515 ($167,736 as of 6/27/2014) in the UK.

Competition

Finding a competitor for the XL1 is a real challenge, because its fuel consumption of 0.9 l/100 km (261 mpg) is a world record. However, we are pretty sure that in the near future things are going to change, but until then the XL1 can enjoy the supremacy on the market. Still, for those of you interested, we can name some pretty successful EV currently available on the market.

When Nissan launched it on the market, no one expected the Leaf will enjoy such a huge success, still time proved us wrong. The Leaf uses an electric motor with an output of 107 horsepower. You can easily see this is a little bit more than the XL1, but Leaf has a driving range of just 100 miles.

A model that pretty much started the electric industry was the i-MiEV. It uses a 16-kWh battery pack that placed under the rear cargo bay that develops 63 horsepower and 133 pound-feet of torque. The i-MiEV is also having a driving range of just 100 miles, so the XL1 is pretty much the leader in this case. Or it will be when put on sale.

Conclusion

With its impressive fuel economy of 261 mpg, the new Volkswagen XL1 has set a new world record in the automotive industry. Whether it will really be a successful model or not won’t be known until it’s put on sale, but we are pretty sure that the first 50 units will be sold in no time.