235 MPG Car, But Not In The U.S.

Volkswagen is set to release the world’s most economical non-hybrid car in China by 2010 (unconfirmed). The two-seater is capable of 235mpg and can reach a top speed of 76 mph. The body is made from a mixture of ultra-light magnesium, aluminum, and carbon fiber. The three-wheeled WOBL-1 was driven on the Autobahn 7 years ago, so why the heck did they keep this in the garage for so long? Well, the cost of production was way too high, specifically, the cost of carbon fiber monocoque production. The original launch date was 2012, but the costs have come down enough to build a few hundred of them.

It has a six-speed transmission and weighs one-third the weight of a Toyota Echo. It measures 11.4 feet long, 4.1 feet wide, and 3.3 feet tall. While the prototype has a one-cylinder diesel engine, the production vehicles will have a two-cylinder turbo-diesel engine. The cost will be in the range of $31,750 – $47,622 (20,000 – 30,000 Euros).

If you’d like to see some more photos of the prototype, click here.