Volkswagen XL1 to be Priced at $146,000

Volkswagen has reportedly settled on a price for its radically styled, uber-efficient XL1 diesel plug-in hybrid: € 111,000.

That converts to $146,243 in US dollars, though it matters not since the XL1 will not be sold in the States.

At that price, the XL1 is beyond the means of most individuals, which is likely why VW will limit total production to only 250 units (of which 50 have already been built).  The remaining 200 XL1s will be built in Spring 2014 and delivered to paying customers shortly thereafter.

According to VW, the XL1 is the world's most fuel-efficient series production vehicles.  It achieves this top-level efficiency mainly due to aerodynamics (it is the most slippery production vehicle ever with a coefficient of drag of 0.189) and low weight.  The XL1 barely even tips the scales at 1,753 pounds.

We’ve listed below some additional specs:

• slightly askew 2 person seating
• top speed of 98 mph
• 0-62 mph in 12.7 seconds
• NEDC rating of 261 mpg
• 0.8 liter two-cylinder TDI diesel engine that puts out 47 hp
• 31 miles of electric range
• 20kW electric motor
• 7-speed dual-clutch transmission

Fancy an XL1?  We sure do, but not at that $146,000-plus price that Wirtschafts Woche reports it'll be sold at.

Make one for the masses Volkswagen.  Price it right and it'll sell in volume.