VW XL1 - 313mpg on sale this year?

	Volkswagen set out to create the ultimate eco-hybrid with their XL1. Low, long & lightweight with faired-in rear wheels and super skinny eco-tyres, this car is set to be made available on a lease-only basis and although full details aren't yet available Volkswagen expect to build between 50 & 5 thousand cars.
The XL1’s hybrid system comprises a 47-hp, 800-cc twin-cylinder TDI turbo-diesel engine, coupled with a 27-hp (20-kW) electric motor, and VW’s seven-speed DSG dual-clutch gearbox. (DSG is programmed to only operate in automatic mode.) The diesel engine and the electric motor combine to deliver maximum torque of 103 lb-ft.
	This astonishingly compact combination is mounted transversely behind the passenger compartment and drives the rear wheels. A 5-kWh lithium-ion battery pack and a 2.6-gallon fuel tank are nestled between the power-train and passenger cell. Speaking of the passenger cell, the XL1 will be created using carbon-fibre reinforced plastic, giving it a super strong survival cell for this two-seater's occupants. Gull-wing doors give entry to the cabin, which is finished with the standard VW corporate 'look'............ i.e. black! Besides it's ultra-streamlined look, the little VW's awesome consumption figures boil down to light weight - just 795KG of - well - 'stuff' go into making a Volkswagen XL1 and lower weight means less energy needed to move it along - so less is more or something like that. No price as yet, but almost certainly the same analogy (less is more!) will apply! (suggestions centre around the $50,000 mark )

Porsche GT3R Hybrid - Flywheel Hybrid Racer

	The very first hybrid was a Porsche design. In 1898 Ferdinand Porsche developed - in conjunction with the Lohner carriage company - a series hybrid with 'in-wheel hub' electric motors, capable of being configured as front, rear or 4-wheel drive, this behemoth carried 1.8 tonnes of batteries and weighed a colossal 4 tonnes overall, a petrol engine was also carried on-board to recharge the batteries - nothing new under the sun then!.....
Ferdinand Porsche also took this massive vehicle racing...nothing new....yeah you get the picture! So to this delightful piece of modern day Porsche engineering, a 465BHP 4-litre flat 6 'boxer' engine, coupled with two electric motors driving the front
	wheels only and producing an extra 75KW (80BHP) each, this surge of electric power is available for 6-8 seconds after the flywheel system is charged. The Flywheel/generator developed by Williams Hybrid Power - a sister company to Frank Williams F1 team - stores kinetic energy produced under braking, cornering and acceleration by spinning at up to 36,000 RPM and is deployed at the exit of corners to aid acceleration. It obviously works fantastically well, as the Porsche was leading it's first 24 hour race comfortably until the 23rd hour when cruel luck denied the team a finish. Watch the video and feel this Porsche pull!