Volkswagen sticks a Ducati engine into its eco-car

Ducati-engined Volkswagen XL has 200hp and will do 270km/h.

Words Neil Briscoe Published 1 October 2014

What are we looking at?
It's the Volkswagen XL Sport. Now, it may sound odd calling a diesel hybrid designed for maximum fuel economy 'Sport', but this one is a little different. The diesel engine is gone and in comes a 1,199cc unit from a Ducati motorbike, which has 200hp and two cylinders. Thanks to the XL1's low weight (just 890kg) and its exceptional aerodynamics the XL Sport hits 100km/h in just 5.7 seconds and a top speed of 270km/h. Wow only just begins to cover it.

What's the best thing about it?
The sheer insane brilliance of it. The idea of mating a tiny, two-seat, carbon-fibre economy car with a raging, screaming, 11,000rpm Ducati superbike engine is so inspired, so clinically nuts that we're really, really glad someone thought of it. Best of all, it's not just a concept - Volkswagen is going to build and sell 250 of these. The queue starts behind us...

Show stopper or floor filler
Could be the show-stopper of the whole event.

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