As expected, Volkswagen has taken the hyper efficient diesel-hybrid powertrain from its XL1 tandem two-seater and installed it in the Up! city car. The new Franken-hybrid is called the Twin Up! concept, and has debuted at the Tokyo Motor Show today. With the XL1's two-cylinder, 800cc diesel engine and 35kW electric motor, the tiny four-seat hatchback can achieve a remarkable 214 miles per gallon on the European cycle – not too far off the purpose-built XL1's mark of 261 mpg.
VW says swapping in the XL1's powertrain was easy, with only a 1.2-inch extension of the front overhang required to fit the diesel engine, electric motor, seven-speed DSG transmission and all of the electronics to make them work together. There's also room in the Twin Up! to carry more fuel and a larger battery cell; whereas the XL1 gets by with a tiny 2.6-gallon fuel tank and 5.5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, the Twin Up! can carry 8.7 gallons of fuel and has an 8.6 kWh battery. The hybrid powertrain as a whole produces only 74 horsepower, but has a maximum torque rating of 159 pound-feet. With those specs, the Twin Up! can travel 31 miles on battery power alone (nearly the same as the XL1) and reach a top speed of 87 miles per hour. A trip to 62 mph takes 15.7 seconds, so future drivers will have to plan their passes accordingly.
For now just a concept, the Twin Up! is being shown in Tokyo wearing an exclusive Sparkling White paint color with blue glass flakes. The interior color is called Ceramic, and both inside and out feature accents in the company's signature blue that signals a high efficiency model. The Twin Up! also ditches the buttons and switches of its production dashboard in favor of all-digital instrumentation and controls.
Source: autoblog.com
