Volkswagen revealed Up! Lite new concept car

Volkswagen revealed its diesel-electric car that gets 70 mpg on the highway in the Los Angeles Auto Show which is latest in its Up! Series. It is not most efficient concept we’ve seen from VW that would be the radical Volkswagen L1 with a very impressive 170 mpg. But unlike the L1, the Up! Lite is something that could sell in big enough numbers to make producing it economically viable.

The car has a two-cylinder turbodiesel joined to an electric motor and Volkswagen’s very nice DSG seven-speed gearbox. The car is with an aerodynamic drag figure of just 0.237. That makes it more slippery than the 2010 Toyota Prius. The Up! Lite is a tiny car — just 12.5 feet long, 4.5 feet tall and 5.2 feet wide.

The car is designed with 0.8-liter TDI two-cylinder engine that puts out 38 kilowatts /51 horsepower. There is also a 10-kilowatt / 13.4-horsepower electric motor that does all sort of interesting things. Car is designed as a “pulse start module” that combines the jobs of starter, alternator and electric drive. The engine and motor work together at certain times and will combine their power for a total output of 48 kilowatts / 64.3 horsepower. If you take your foot off the accelerator and start to coast, the engine shuts off. The electric motor will propel the car using energy stored in a lithium-ion battery. There is even a stop-start system that shuts down the engine when you’re at a stoplight.

CO2 emissions are reduced to about 65 g/km. The rear LED lights and rear fog lights are integrated in bumper while the interior mirror and side mirrors are replaced by cameras.It has an electronic stability-control system, is slathered in airbags and the four occupants are ensconced and cosseted by a highly innovative safety frame of aluminum, steel and carbon fiber.