VW Golf VIII to Achieve 100 mpg / 2.3 l/100km

Volkswagen recently presented at the Qatar Auto Show the concept that's supposed to change the whole auto industry. At least, from the Germans' point of view, the XL1 prototype will change a lot of things in the way the VW models will be made in the future. The eight generation Golf for example is expected to borrow the powertrain installed on the XL1 concept, just like the Up city car that's likely to hit the market in the next few years.

Although a launch date for the eighth Golf is not yet available, Autocar writes that the model could reach a fuel efficiency rating of 100 mpg (2.3 l/100km) using an engine similar to the one implemented for the first time on the Qatari prototype. A new generation two-cylinder hybrid powertrain is likely to make its debut on the Golf, thus releasing only 75 grams of CO2 per kilometer.

Lightweight materials will most likely be used on the vehicle as well, all of them supposed to contribute, more or less, to the final efficiency and emissions figures. Carbon reinforced plastics and reworked aerodynamics will be two of the enhancements to make it to production, the aforementioned source notes while suggesting that the vehicle is very likely to adopt the blue-e-motion designation.

Now, voices familiar with the matter claim that the seventh Golf will arrive sometime in 2012, which means this new generation will have a life cycle of eight years. The eight iteration of the car will be launched in 2020 and will be one of the first models to help the Germans meet the new EU fuel economy standards.