So you think there are no conspiracies? All the major car companies are now coming out with hybrids, fuel cells, conventional cars with super-light bodies all at once, but none are going into any sort of mass production. Most of these technologies have been bouncing around for 10-20 years.VW 282 MPG

By Georg Kacher

Green news

30 June 2008 15:52

Remember Volkswagen’s ‘one-litre’ car, capable of one litre per 100km, or a scarcely credible 282mpg? Well VW has approved top-secret plans to build the limited-edition fuel miser in 2010, CAR Online can reveal. The tiny, grey cigar-shaped curiosity was a triumphal hit at the 2002 annual meeting in Hamburg and now – finally – it’s heading for production.

At the time the chairman of VW’s supervisory board predicted that the super-economical two-seater would go into production as soon as the cost of the carbonfibre monocoque dropped from €35,000 (£28,000) to €5000 (£4000), which he estimated would happen in 2012. Now the VW 1L will hit the market two years ahead of schedule, in 2010.

A VW that does 282mpg! What will she cost?

The asking price? That’s a game of political posturing. Volumes will be restricted to keep costs under control and, according to one well placed insider CAR spoke to, anything from €20,000 (£16,000) to €30,000 (£24,000) is possible. Expect a large amount of subsidies from VW, which hopes to reap a bonanza of positive press.