The most fuel efficient car in the world: Volkswagen XL1 does 300 MILES to the gallon (and it looks cool too)

Engineers in Germany used new construction techniques and a hybrid drive-train to create the lightweight, fuel efficient car

Volkswagen XL1 emits 24 g/km of carbon dioxide and is as large as a Polo but as low and streamlined as a Lamborghini

Only 250 of the cars have been made, they are being sold for €111,000 (£92,490) - and there is no right-hand-drive version available



Car manufacturers have long sought to create incredibly efficient cars to save motorists money and help the environment.

And now engineers at Volkswagen are selling what they claim is the world’s most fuel efficient production car, which can do a staggering 313 miles per gallon.



The Volkswagen XL1 ‘super efficient vehicle’ features new construction techniques, an innovative futuristic-looking body and hybrid drive-train to dramatically increase fuel economy.

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Engineers at Volkswagen have made what they claim is the world's most fuel efficient production car, which can do a staggering 313 miles per gallon

The two-seat diesel-electric hybrid car emits 24 g/km of carbon dioxide, which the German auto manufacturer says sets a new benchmark for vehicle efficiency.

The car's fuel efficiency of 313 miles per gallon compares favourably with Toyota's Prius, which typically does 44mpg in city driving conditions and Ford's Fiesta, which does 31mpg on average.



In theory, it could be driven from the centre of London to the outskirts of Edinburgh in a straight line, using just one gallon of fuel.



The XL1 was designed from scratch and is lightweight as some steel components, including the chassis, have been replaced by carbon fibre so that the car weighs in at just 795kg.



The Volkswagen XL1 'super efficient vehicle' features new construction techniques, an innovative futuristic-looking body and hybrid drive-train to dramatically increase fuel economy





VOLKSWAGEN XL1 SPEC

The car can do 313 miles per gallon.

It combines new construction techniques, a super aerodynamic design and a hybrid-drive train to be so fuel efficient.

The two-seat diesel-electric hybrid car emits 24 g/km of carbon dioxide.

It weighs in at just 795kg and has 'scissor doors'

It measures almost four metres long, 1.7metres wide and just 1.2metres tall.

It is powered by a compact 800 cc two-cylinder diesel engine and together with the 20kW electric motor.

In pure electric mode, the XL1 can travel up to 35km before the diesel engine cuts in.

The car can go from 0-60mph in 11.9 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 99mph

Just 200 of the cars are on sale and cost €111,000 (£92,490) as they are hand crafted.

The edgy design is intended to reduce drag and it features ‘scissor doors’ which were famously featured in the DeLorean DMC-12, used in the Back to the Future films.



To achieve the target fuel consumption figure the XL1 was aerodynamically optimised, adopting a classic ‘tear drop’ shape and using innovations such as removing traditional wing mirrors and replacing them with small cameras called e-Mirrors, which transmit exterior images to interior displays.



Volkswagen’s car measures almost four metres long and 1.7metres wide, making it similar in size to the VW Polo, yet it is just 1.2metres tall, making it a similar height to a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder.



It is powered by a compact 800 cc two-cylinder diesel engine and together with the 20kW electric motor, it car can travel over 600 miles on a single tank of fuel.



The two-seat diesel-electric hybrid car emits 24 g/km of carbon dioxide, which the German auto manufacturer says sets a new benchmark for vehicle efficiency

The XL1 was designed from scratch and is lightweight as some steel components (an exploded view is pictured), including the chassis, have been replaced by carbon fibre so that the car weighs in at just 795kg

The model gets its name from the car’s European fuel efficiency rating and was originally designed to use less than one litre of fuel per 100km – the equivalent of 282mpg – although it now exceeds this.



In pure electric mode, the XL1 can travel up to 35km before the diesel engine cuts in.



The car can go from 0-60mph in 11.9 seconds and its electronically limited top speed is 99 mph.



The XL1's edgy design is intended to reduce drag and it features 'scissor doors' (pictured) famously featured in the DeLorean DMC-12, which was used in the Back to the Future films

To achieve the target fuel consumption figure the XL1 was aerodynamically optimised, adopting a classic 'tear drop' shape and using innovations such as removing traditional wing mirrors and replacing them with small cameras called e-Mirrors (pictured), which transmit exterior images to interior displays

The XL1 is manufactured - in left-hand drive only - at Volkswagen’s Osnabrück factory in Germany, which also produces the Golf Cabriolet and Porsche Boxster.



Unlike these cars, the XL1 is ‘handcrafted’ using small series production processes and is being sold in Germany for €111,000 (£92,490).



Around a dozen vehicles to be made available to UK customers, Volkswagen told MailOnline.



Only 250 of the XL1 cars been made, with a total of 200,000 available for sale, as 50 of the vehicles were pre-production models.