XR1: the 911 of Volkswagen

Although Volkswagen did not, at the time, go ahead with its mid-engined sports car project, the BlueSport, the idea has been kept for a better opportunity. But if the above is qualified with some diesel car consumption, then the XR1 is the best proof of what Volkswagen has in mind: a car with the performance of a Porsche 911, but with the consumption of a Golf TDI.

Let’s start with the name: if the XR1 designation sounded vaguely familiar to you, it is because the Volkswagen XL1‘s carbon-fibre technology and the solutions used to achieve very low consumption will be used on the XR1. But this time the goal is not only to cover many kilometres on a few litres of fuel, but also to improve on performance and the dynamics of the future model.

Preliminary data on the XR1 point to a carbon-fibre body with gullwing doors, weighing no more than 850 kilos. The engine would be the 2-litre unit from the Volkswagen Golf GTI, which gives performance of 4.6 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h and a top speed of around 320 km/h.

Volkswagen’s engineers will have to find the best compromise between safety, performance and low consumption. The same platform as the XL1 would be used and, although the GTI’s engine adds weight to the final package, it is expected that the absence of batteries or any kind of electric motor will keep the final weight at the figures the German brand has promised.

What is not yet very clear is the price, which Car puts at approximately 50,000 euros. It is not a very accessible price, but it will depend on how many conventional parts the finished model has and on the technology it offers; the video cameras for the rear view of the XL1 will remain, and the addition of the gullwing doors does not seem likely to make a dent in the price, according to Volkswagen.

Via | Car Magazine