Up close: the Volkswagen XL1

[redpoint5]

The XL1 is a dud in just about every regard but 1.

It's a 2-seater. A vehicle lacking the utility of more seats had better be capable of 0-60 in under 3 seconds.

You can't see out the back, and it's not because of the utility offered by a large cargo area.

The doors are dumb. If you're going to have flashy doors, the car had better be capable of at least 200 MPH. Even then it's no excuse to have dumb doors.

69 horsepower is a joke. A $150,000 vehicle had better beat a Toyota Camry 0-60.

110 MPG. This thing is a science experiment. Nice getting 110 MPG, but then any EV gets that equivalent. Then there's the problem of diminishing returns. Who cares if a car gets 70 MPG or 110? It hardly matters from a fuel consumption perspective.

I'd like to see manufacturers adopt a shape more similar to this, but not at the expense of utility. I think Tesla strikes a good balance between efficiency and usability.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by freebeard

It's a Knock Down Kit, shipped globally as a flat pack and capable of integrating local content anywhere locally. Alligator-skin upholstery or whatever.

If I were sure about the possibility of registering in Brazil, it would be tempting to get one. The mid-mounted cockpit is what makes me question the viability of registering one locally, even though some urban transit buses with the cockpit centrally-mounted have been used in São Paulo.