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VW to unveil one-seat electric car

Volkswagen will unveil a one-seat experimental car with an electric power train next month.

Automotive News
Volkswagen
XL1 Super Efficient Vehicle
VW says its one-seater EV would be "even better" than the XL1 Super Efficient Vehicle, a diesel-electric plug-in hybrid unveiled in January. Volkswagen

 

FRANKFURT--Volkswagen will unveil a one-seat experimental car with an electric power train next month as the carmaker works to cut emissions and develop future driving concepts.

The concept vehicle will be designed for limited journeys, VW spokeswoman Ruth Holling said today, confirming remarks by VW research chief Juergen Leohold to the Financial Times. The model will be presented Sept. 8 in Berlin.

Leohold declined to comment to the paper on the car's range or top speed ahead of its unveiling. He said the one-seater would be "even better" than the XL1 Super Efficient Vehicle, a diesel-electric plug-in hybrid unveiled in January, which uses 0.9 liter of fuel per 100km (313 U.K. mpg/ 261 U.S. mpg.)

VW is aiming for battery-powered vehicles to account for 3 percent of sales by 2018, the year it's aiming to sell more than 10 million cars, sport-utility vehicles and vans, CEO Martin Winterkorn has said.

Seven-month sales rose 14 percent to 4.75 million units, the company said Aug. 19.

VW plans to bring electric versions of its Golf hatchback and the new Up city car to market by 2013.

(Source: Automotive News)