km : Automotive News

At the recent show in Frankfurt, Volkswagen's big reveal was a stylish second coming of the infamous "1 Liter" car, a slim, two-passenger vehicle capable of traveling 100 kilometers on a single liter of fuel. At LA, Volkwagen has decided to merge that idea with its Up! series of small car concepts. Instead of two passengers, the Up! Lite holds four in a very attractive coupe body. And instead of 1 liter per 100 km, this one does the same distance on a still-amazing 2.44 liters. That's the equivalent of 70 mpg on the highway. For comparison, the most efficient Polo model on sale right now covers 100 km using 3.8 liters of diesel fuel.

Power comes from a 51 horsepower, 0.8-liter turbocharged two-cylinder diesel engine mated to an electric motor that provides an added boost. Additionally, the electric motor works as a starter and an alternator, recovering energy through regenerative braking. Combined horsepower for the two is 65 horsepower. And since we mentioned the 1L car, this is the same TDI engine used in that model.

The Up! Lite is a full hybrid, so it can operate in pure electric mode in the right conditions. One of those conditions is "coast down," or when the driver is providing no throttle input. The vehicle senses this and cuts the TDI engine. The Up! Lite also goes into full electric over shorter distances at low speeds, running on power stored in a lithium-ion battery pack. It uses stop/start technology as well, so it will shut down when sitting still. A seven-speed dual-clutch transmission borrowed from the Polo BlueMotion does the shifing.

With components borrowed from current production vehicles, Volkswagen seems quite serious about a vehicle based on the Up! Lite going into production. To that end, it is equipped with a full array of safety features including stability control, multiple airbags, and a full aluminum, steel, and carbon fiber safety frame. It also looks to have adequate space for both people and things, and we do love the basic, yet clean and modern interior. Top speed of the Lite is 100 mph and 0-60 mph acceleration is a claimed 12 seconds.

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