The XL1 is the latest phase in the carmaker’s drive towards a practical, usable car capable of travelling 100km (62 miles) on a litre of fuel, which was announced in 2000. It features a highly aerodynamic carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) body and weighs 795kg – 134kg less than an entry-level up! and the lightest production car sold by the carmaker since the second-generation Polo was withdrawn in 1994.

In the production XL1, driver and passenger will be sat next to each other as in a conventional car. It shares a similar footprint size with the Volkswagen Polo, but at 1,153mm tall it’s 129mm lower in roofline than a Porsche Boxster, which it will be built alongside at the carmaker’s factory in Osnabruck.

The drivetrain is mounted between the rear wheels and uses a combination of two-cylinder, 48bhp diesel engine and 27bhp electric motor with a seven-speed DSG transmission and lithium-ion battery. Fully charged, it will cover 31 miles on electricity, while the combined power sources will allow it to accelerate to 62mph in 12.7 seconds on the way to an electronically limited 100mph top speed. 

Pricing, production volumes and an on-sale date have not been released as yet.