How much would you pay for 261 mpg?
Back in March, we said that the Volkswagen XL1 was a supercar of a different sort. With a claimed 261 mpg it’s one that prioritizes extreme efficiency over extreme performance. Now, it looks like the XL1 will get a price to match that supercar label.
German business journal Wirtschaftswoche claims the XL1 will wear a price tag equivalent to $146,000, or about what you could expect to pay for a brand new 911 GT3. At that price you can forget about breaking even on fuel savings. Though, it’s also possible that Volkwagen could set up a leasing program to make the XL1 a more viable consumer option. You might remember that Honda set up a similar program in California for its FCX Clarity fuel cell car that would have otherwise cost half-a-million dollars.
The XL1 is still a very relevant exercise for Volkwagen and the industry as a whole. It’s extremely lightweight carbon construction (which no doubt accounts for a considerable portion of its cost) is the type thing you would normally find on supercars costing twice as much. It might be easiest to look at the XL1 as a beta test for technologies that we could see on every car in ten to twenty years time. Think how cool a monocoque chassis GTI would be!