The surprise of the Volkswagen Group Night that came just before the start of the Paris Motor Show is without a doubt the XL Sport, a car that came seemingly out of the blue. It's based on the XL1, but while that car is aimed at being the most frugal in the world and does so with the help of a tiny 0.8 TDI diesel, this packs the most powerful two-cylinder engine ever made.
Volkswagen got it from their new friends at Ducati, who pulled it from one of their new 1199 Superleggera bikes. While screaming all the way up to 11,000 rotations per minute, this produces 200PS (197 bhp) from only 1.2 liters of ultra-cool displacement.
To make it work with their fuel-sipper, ultra-light chassis, engineers have had to fit the Ducati V2 with a newly developed intermediate gearbox to reduce engine speeds by a factor of 1.86, after which a 7-speed twin-clutch DSG takes everything to the rear axle. Where the rubber hits the road, the XL Sport boasts 18-inch forged magnesium-alloy wheels wrapped in 265/35 R18 and 205/40 R18 (for the front) high-performance track tires.
Now 200 PS might not seem like all that much, but Volkswagen say the XL Sport will hit 100 km/h in in 5.7 seconds and a top speed of 270km/h (168mph). So by shedding weight, the same power you get in a hot hatch can deliver sportscar performance. Though this, the German company has proven to us that the future of transportation need not be something to be feared.
The XL Sport serves a double role. One is a to act as a bridge to the Ducati brand and the future of the Volkswagen Group, while the other is to celebrate a new record. Volkswagen Group has officially built 200 million vehicles, an almost unbelievable record marked by this technologically advanced concept.
To mark the occasion of this record, a check for €200,000 ($260k) was awarded on stage to actress Catherine Deneuve, founding chairperson of "Cinema for Peace", by the Chairman of the Board of Management, Dr. Martin Winterkorn.
Despite a few technical snags, we relished the chance to see Patricia Kaas on stage, singing next to the XL Sport. You can see photos of her and the concept car in the gallery below.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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