Volkswagen has been showing off its 1-Liter (also known as the L1) concept car this past week at the car show at the Frankfurt Motor Show. This full-hybrid vehicle, which weighs in at about 838 pounds, hopes to achieve a one liter per 100 kilometers (235 mpg) fuel efficiency.

This full-hybrid vehicle, weighing just 380 kilograms, offers an initial glimpse at how a production version might appear. The CFRP body is a masterful achievement in car making, both technically and visually. Unique on this car are its proportions. While the length of the L1 at 3,813 millimetres is still similar to that of a Volkswagen Fox, and its height of 1,143 millimetres nearly matches that of a Lamborghini Murciélago, the car’s aerodynamically optimised width (1,200 millimetres) has no comparisons in the world of today’s production cars.

Currently, the L1 combines several technologies to achieve such grand fuel savings. It’s got a 10 kW motor, a 7-speed rear-installed DSG, and a 0.8L TDI engine, which is the smallest diesel engine intended for production ever built by Volswagen. It’s also got incredible aerodynamicity and can reach top speeds of 99 mph (160 kph).

CO2 emissions of the 160 km/h L1 are 36 g/km. The TDI, E-motor and 7-speed DSG are installed at the rear; as a unit they represent the most fuel efficient hybrid drive in the world. In the standard “ECO” mode, the 800 cm3 TDI develops a power of 20 kW / 27 PS (at 4,000 rpm); in “Sport” mode – used to reach the car’s top speed, for example – the car’s power increases to 29 kW / 39 PS (at 4,000 rpm). The maximum torque of the TDI is 100 Newton-meter (at 1,900 rpm).

The two-seat monocoque is composed of carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) and is accessed not through doors, but by climbing into the L1 from the top. Other interesting features include:

• LED technology for headlights and taillights.
• Completely enclosed underbody.
• Cooling provided via adaptive air channels integrated into the side of the car body which open and close automatically based on the vehicle speed and the hybrid unit’s operating state.
• Completely covered wheels.