Gadgetory

well well well here's the VW xl1 a car that many of you have written and asked about so we're kind of do a little Q&A session around this one first of all are they making it yes sort of they've made about 50 so far another two hundred are coming in q2 of 2014 that should be the whole production run so production is a funny word at numbers that small next up why isn't every car like this this being a turbo diesel hybrid one of the rare cars in the world that does that 31 miles of electric range something like 240 us MPG I mean this is a stunning achievement right looks a little funny but hey I think it would find a market except for one problem the price we would be about 150 grand us if you converted it from the European price they're selling it to people at so you can't live long enough to make the fuel economy of this vehicle ever pay for it even at 2 40 mpg now the other question is why don't more cars have this magic combo of the efficiency and torque of a diesel with the efficiency and torque of an electric that should tip you off of the problem the two kind of overlap too much they both do the same thing efficient low-end torque a gas hybrid combo they kind of help each other out more they don't step on each other as much another reason is cost diesels have a price premium electric has a price premium put them together you get a big price premium that most buyers aren't interested in back here is the motive power area a little two cylinder turbo diesel it's exotic in its architecture and displacement and then of course you got the hybrid gear coupled with it but notice what's all around us here carbon fiber that's not exotic that doesn't add cost part of reason this vehicle is exceptionally expensive and it's low volumes now as I was one of the ten people who loved the original honda insight as you can imagine I also love this guy the seating configuration is similar it's tiny it's tier dropped the seat over here is kind of offset it's pushed further back it's not your conventional car and with this big old seal getting in it makes getting into a Countach look easy Oh notice we've got the car show classic screens with cameras instead of side view mirrors but it does give you an idea we're engineering can go in a real production car today if you're looking for high MPG at any cost