Photo: Volkswagen
Japan buys just as many of its 660cc small cars as it does regular automobiles. This eco-conscious nation was the first to adopt hybrid and is thus the perfect place to show a car like the Volkswagen Twin Up!.
What is the Twin Up!?The German automaker has taken the technology developed for the €110,000 XL1 and fitted it into its smallest car, going as far as to even make some improvements.
The Twin Up! is thus powered by a 0.8-liter two-cylinder TDI engine that is mated to an electric motor before delivering its power through a DSG gearbox. The small diesel unit offers s 47.6 PS (35 kW) and 88 lb-ft (119 Nm) and the electric motor ads another 47 for a combined systemic output of 75 PS (55 kW) and 214 Nm (158 lb-ft).
The one overriding principle of this car is fuel economy, and that is where the Twin Up! becomes impressive. It burns only 1.1 liters per 100 km, equivalent to 257 mpg UK. Even the best normal diesel engine can only manage about 3 liters per 100 km.
There are no plans to put the car into production yet, but Volkswagen did reveal the hybrid is being shown in Tokyo in a new "Sparkling White". It also has a lot of other cool toys you don't see on production Volkswagens yet: all-digital instrument cluster, user-configurable home screen and digital climate control.
The Twin Up! is thus powered by a 0.8-liter two-cylinder TDI engine that is mated to an electric motor before delivering its power through a DSG gearbox. The small diesel unit offers s 47.6 PS (35 kW) and 88 lb-ft (119 Nm) and the electric motor ads another 47 for a combined systemic output of 75 PS (55 kW) and 214 Nm (158 lb-ft).
The one overriding principle of this car is fuel economy, and that is where the Twin Up! becomes impressive. It burns only 1.1 liters per 100 km, equivalent to 257 mpg UK. Even the best normal diesel engine can only manage about 3 liters per 100 km.
There are no plans to put the car into production yet, but Volkswagen did reveal the hybrid is being shown in Tokyo in a new "Sparkling White". It also has a lot of other cool toys you don't see on production Volkswagens yet: all-digital instrument cluster, user-configurable home screen and digital climate control.
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