Volkswagen introduces world’s most economical car
March 6, 2009 by Matt Brogan
While we don’t have a great deal of information available at this stage, we do know that Volkswagen is set to reveal the world’s most economical non-hybrid car to shareholders attending the 42nd annual general meeting of Volkswagen AG in Hamburg.
The single-seater is capable of 0.91 litres per 100km (or 258mpg in the old measure) and can manage a top speed of 123km/h.
The prototype, as shown here, was built in conditions of such great secrecy that little more is known about the car, but we’ll be sure to keep you posted after next week’s meeting.
Print it: 
i like this car
VW had done it again
Were can I get one ?
how much does it cost?
I like it. If it is as noted in the original post, it would be safe if EVERYONE drove such. You’re dead if a truck hits your Volvo, so we’re even. The time will come when the only cars available will be something like that one. I’d gladly dump mine for one of those.
U.S. will never let this car on the Road does not use enough fuel to pay excise tax. The system to be stops all attempts to reduce consumption of the old Carbon Based Fuels. If you can reduce the mileage per gallon maybe you have something. Oh by the way Excise Tax on Fuel-Tires-Booze-Cigarettes-U.S. postage to mail letters pays for the US Gov to operate Not Personal Wage Tax! ( OLD NAME INCOME TAX )????
Google: Aaron Russo see what you find WE NEED A CHANGE????
“Jerry Says:
March 30th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
Where do I put my kids?”
That’s your problem, you had them. Duct tape them to the hood.
Funny how the people who react negatively to cars like this seem to be the ones who all drive around in V8 Hummers and supercharged Porsches – then have the gall to complain about the price of petrol. When you’re in a traffic jam the cars all become very very similar, i.e. 5 kph and massive pollution.
In response to “where do you put the kids?” I’ve yet to see more than a quarter of vehicles on a highway with more than one person in them. I know, I count. And as for the price, there’s this thing called scales of economy. The more something is produced and sold, the cheaper it becomes. And everybody should realise that car manufacturers actually take a loss at point of sale. They make no money off selling cars, they make the cash from servicing and repairs and selling re-branded replacement parts.
Even if the economy figures are double what they claim, it’s still less than 2 litres per hundred k, half that of a 500cc Suzuki bike. Now, where do I put my name?
I like this little car, and unlike some of the naysayers, I like the suppository looks, this is for AIR PENETRATION, this thing has an incredibly low Cx : going at 130 km/h with just 6 kW of power is quite a feat.
Of course you could go Sam Whittingham but his 130 km/h world record bicycle isn’t what I’d call practical…
Empty vehicle weight is 290 kg only ! That’s 10x lighter than a damn SUV.
Bottomline, if you need to drive lots of km to meet with your clients, this is great.
Of course for short distances (like less than 30 km) I’d rather use my bicycle cause it’s a lot more fun, and in the city, faster : no traffic jams, no looking for a parking spot, etc. Fat / old / lazy asses can use e-bikes too.
avg speed of my car in city : 10-15 km/h (door to door measured)
avg speed of my bicycle : 18 km/h (door to door measured, pretty constant anyday anytime)
This is what we call a CCC (car coffin combo)!
The Chinese make scooters with similar techniques for less than a thousand. I’d guess this would sell well at about $4000. That’s what I’d pay for what is essentially an underpowered enclosed motorcycle with a safety cage and freeway legality. Remember the Vincent Black Knight, a 1000cc enclosed motorcycle? Seen a Burgman scooter, 120 mph step through scooter? The Suzuki S40, 650 cc single for $4000? Made almost exactly the same since 1985.
If it keeps off the rain, runs, stops and steers, it’s OK. I can also buy a Miata now off craigslist for less than $2000. Think, folks, with something besides your blood-engorged apparatus.
what is the price?
I wonder if they are correct about this being a one-seater. I looks like they are using the same photos as the VW 1-liter from several years ago which has tandem seating. I would drive one.
Google VW 1 liter.
This is a joke!!!!
Someone is recycling photos from years ago.
If this little beauty gets released in 2010 for 600 bucks here in the USA, I want one. I will not get rid of my other autos and my Harley, but think this will be the perfect around town in the rain vehicle. I was thinking of getting a 16,000 buck Can Am Spyder 3 wheeler but it has no rain protection. I noted somewhere that a person thought this little jewel was ugly. I think all the current production vehicles from all makers are ugly with their horrendous bulbous design which makes them all look alike. One last shot, the smart thing would be to reinstall the trolleys and interurbans we used to have and go electric.
Great! I’ll buy one now! Even at twice the price!
I don’t think the government would allow it to be imported into USA (PITY!) Would make a great car for short trips to grocery store, or town to get small items. Would also be a boon to older retired Americans living on a fixed income! I’d gladly trade my Ford F-150 pickup for one if I could.
I owned a VW “beetle” I bought in 1959 for $1545 and it was the most practical car I EVER owned. It was a sad day when they “regulated” the old Porche classic VW design out of the country! In these days of greedy oil barons/shieks it would be a welcome car to own again!
See http://www.greatchange.org/foo.....r-car.html
This article was originally published in 2002 !!
When will the car be available in the USA?
Why is there no public announcments or other news? Is it true that this is merely a redo of an older idea?
Eco-gullibility. The love that dare not speak it’s name. This is an example of why late night infomercial hucksters can still ply their trade with profitable impunity. People have not evolved enough to adequately think with their brains. WISHFULL thinking is still the order of the day.
If only half the energy of the wishful thinkers and enviro fraudsters went into identifying and working toward actual solutions, the real problems of this planet would be far less.
Wow! Imagine! We get brand NEW car EVERY yaer for cash! All of us! We do not have Auto Loans, just cheap liability insurances. We pay ourself for 11 months the remainder; and on saved money we travel the world.
Just think about it! No more Equity Loans to take, no more dependency on Middle Eastern Oil, no more Global Warming, no need for ethanol, solar and nuclear energy. Also no need to spend on education…. Germans will think for us. No more Federal Deficit, maybe……
>>>You’re dead if a truck hits your Volvo
You’re dead if a Volvo hits you while driving this.
Those old enough to remember the Corvair that was deemed “unsafe at any speed” was 10 times the “car” that this is.
If someone wants to drive a V8 and pay for the gas, that is their right. If someone wants to risk their safety driving this that is their right! That is what makes America great!!
Looks like the Tata Nano from India :) While not a first, this sure looks cute and cool.
Unreal I just can’t believe they would release this at that price being the greedy bastards that they normally are. This is a real coup, no pun intended!
We need to get the real word from VW, but if this is true at any reasonable price, twenty million Americans and more throughout the world need to buy this jewel and use it to commute each week to work. We can drive our over sized boats (SUV’s) on the weekend. We’ll still have more money to spend and bring back the world economy. Sub-prime mortgages and over-priced energy are what brought down the world economies. This baby could help us bring it back.
I am am about to pay between $6,000 to $8,000 for a Velomobile. Either the Greenspeed Glyde or the Trice T with the Borealis shell. I would gladly pay twenty times $600 ($12000) for this car, and twice THAT if it was a two-seater, like a Toyota concept car I saw. I don’t see how they could sell it for much less than that. It is awesome!!!
I CAN’T WAIT TO GET ONE…..I HAVE A LONG COMMUTE TO WORK EACH DAY AND WOULD FINALLY BE ABLE TO AFFORD TO FILL MY TANK…. BRING IT ON… I WILL STILL KEEP BOTH OF MY VW VEHICLES I OWN….
Of course I’ll buy one (or two or more…)
But Chris’s comment above is correct: this protype was announced in 2002. See the URL he listed.
I’ll believe it when I see it.
How many SUV’s do you see every day with just one person in them? 98% in this area are that way. Personally this is perfect for 80 percent of the driving I do during the week.
As for the “safety” line. It’s a overused boogie man any more.
Only way to be safe is to stay off the roads and in your caves and fallout shelters.
I must say I’d love to own this car if the price is as they say ($600 u.s) I’d even mail order it lol. Don’t think i’d drive it on the highway though. My reasons for buying it would be because i am to lazy to ride a bike and am to cheap to continue paying the price of gas for driving my mini van to and from work daily. Cudos to VW for at least getting the creative juices flowing even if this rumored super mini car aren’t true… I for one will be watching out for it!!!!
$600 is the equivalent price of the vehicle at introduction in China in 2010. I guarantee that a China ready vehicle would not pass safety/eco muster for the US market so you can forget the $600 in the US.
Reminds me of the Messerschmidt of the 60’s, I have been looking for one for years.
I would buy one of these new models tomorrow if they were available in OZ
I remember reading about the two seater prototype version of this several years ago. That one had a carbon fiber body (expensive) and was/is powered by a one liter – 3 cylinder diesel engine. If it were to go into production, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a sticker price of $60,000.00 initially.
I love the straightforward aerodynamic styling. Throw the kids in the trunk where they belong. ;-)
This car defies belief.
No commercially available petroleum powered vehicle has ever achieved the MPG figures these people state.
This car and the Chevy Volt will most probably never be available to the general public.
Finally!, VW has done it again, resurrected THE PEOPLE’s CAR . . (.for all seasons and reasons! ) Our Mike Corbin never got it right with “The Sparrow”and now They have! . . . It defies me to understand what part of German R&D, engineering, technology, design, QA&QC, manufacturing, etc. is it that You detractors Do Not Understand? . . . Keep It Simple! You knuckleheads! . . .More Is Less!
Hegel, once said, “Quantity Destroys Quality” and less of anything, primarily People in whatever type of “perigrinators”, would obviously be for the better! . . ., We’ve always been a day late and a dollar short, and “Shortsightedness is the Myopiate of the People” but The Germans somehow, at least technologically, always somehow seem to get it right!
But, how well does the air conditioner and heater work? If it even has them???
For the individual who likes the car and concept of having your own private cheap transportation, it is great. My concern is that why now? This item was needed years back to help relieve the so called oil crisis. My big question with this car is, is it real. How can they produce a car like this for $600.00, even $1000.00. Sure I will buy one, but I am finding it hard to wrap my brain around such a vehicle and its price. I want to be proven wrong on this one.
I love my 4256 pound Jeep.
I don’t care if gas goes to ten dollars a gallon.
The idea is cute.
May find a place for some folks.
C/A^^^^^^
“but we’ll be sure to keep you posted after next week’s meeting.”
So what was the outcome?
Rather use double, say 2L/100km, which should not be that difficult to do yet have a *normal* mini hatch, NOT this mobile-coffin…..
The recent economy from a new SEAT diesel model, Spain to Austria was pretty impressive, in the 3’s for a bog stock production car.
Cheers
F-0
I’m having trouble believing this is legitmate because the same claim was made in 2002, also siting their upcoming VW conference for a roll-out announcement. Google this and you’ll find links to the same photos referencing 2002.
I’m still driving my 1988 Chevy (Suzuki built) Sprint. One liter, 3 cylinder, 58 mpg. Wish I could buy a new one just like it.
The best thing I’ve ever seen perfect for commuters thanks vw I admire your skilled enviromental thinking WoW great job thanks for making this world a better place creatting less polution. That may wake up some of those other car companies …thank vw paul
just wanted to say I own a petrol station with a depanneur I won two 4 cylinder car ther both 13 years old and one is for the operation of my business saturn wagon very good on fuel the other is more a summer car mitsubishi eclips lol but I take my bike into work its about 4 kilometers I just say that I would love a car like this its real cool and the best its ECO friendly thank again
LOL
It will be like $40k, if not more…
Waste of time, get back to us VW when you make a car that can be sold for $15k, gives decent economy ie 3% [thats do-able] and is *normal* 4 seater in size and safety.
Pass on this motorised coffin-cum-motorbike!
Cheers
F-0
Like some of you wrote, I have a hard time beleving it will cost only $US600. But if it does, wow. What about VW, did it say anything about the production and when if it does start and at what price.
You better believe you sweet butt if it does go into production and comes to the US I WILL buy one to drive to work. I don’t care what it looks like… It would be great for me to drive to work and on business trips.
Too good to be true…and its not. According to VW this prototype that appeared years ago is not going into production, anticipated sell price if it did is over 25K.
Check out this link http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/v/vwl1.htm
Read a lot of squawk about ‘right to drive gas hogs’. No wonder the govt. has to step in (wish they didn’t) due to dumb *hits who think there’s no global warming or gas will last forever.