VW's 235mpg eco car - sneak peak
About a month ago Greenbang went up to Liverpool where she was told by several exhibitors that ‘car designers would aim for 99g CO2 /km (about 74mpg) to give its drivers free road tax instead of going any lower.’ As the government targets shift so will the designer’s aims.
Well, it appears they were wrong. There are several rumours around that VW will launch a car capable of 235mpg within two years. It’s based on a 2002 concept car and uses the two basics that all cars should have – leightweight and aerodynamic – combined with a 1 litre diesel electric hybrid engine.
If the pictures are true then it will be a 2 man car, one behind the other. It is also believed that the 11.4′ x 4.1′ x 3.3′ shell will be made from magnesium and plastic. It’s all a bit bat mobile really.
According to CAR:
“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. 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.”
VW hasgone to quite extreme levels to look at aerodynamics it seems. The more astute will see it has no wing mirrors, these have been replaced by cameras.
