1
NEWS
Ducati power for VW XL1 Sport
Volkswagen plots a sporty spin-off of the XL1 fuel-sipper, powered by a 145kW Ducati V-twin motorIt’s the sort of performance makeover you’d expect of one of the many German or Swiss tuning firms, but Volkswagen has raised eyebrows with its offbeat plans to transform the XL1 into a sporty track-focused coupe by turfing its fuel-miserly hybrid powertrain in favour of Ducati power.
According to Germany’s Bild magazine, the project has been championed by VW Group figurehead Ferdinand Piech, who publicly announced it at a lecture at the Technical University of Vienna (pictured).
The planned track-day special is being referred to for now as the XL Sport, and Piech is said to be keen for it to be up and running as soon as possible.
Reports suggest Volkswagen’s head of R&D, Heinz-Jakob Neusser, will oversee the powertain swap that will see the XL1’s 35kW two-cylinder diesel engine and 20kW electric motor making way for an 1199cc V-twin sourced from a Ducati Panigale superbike.
This motor – dubbed ‘Superquadro’ for its extremely oversquare dimensions – puts out 145kW at 10,750rpm and 133Nm at 9000rpm.
Why Ducati, you may well ask? The answer lies in the fact that the Italian motorbike manufacturer was bought by Audi in 2012, essentially enabling the VW Group to capitalise on technology transfer from the iconic brand.
It’s reasonable to expect sprightly performance from the XL Sport, especially given that the donor car weighs only 795kg – and that’s with the two power sources and weighty battery pack. In other words, the Duke-powered version will weigh even less.
One element from the XL1’s drivetrain that will make the transition is the PQ200 seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
Obviously no performance data has as yet been revealed, but some sources are speculating the XL Sport will be capable of 0-100km/h splits in the 3sec range, while v-max for the super-slippery coupe (which has a drag coefficient of just 0.186 and a very small frontal area) could theoretically be around the 300km/h mark (although it’s likely to be electronically governed to a much lower top speed).
In fact, engineers are said to be currently working on various aerodynamic addenda to maximise the waif-like tearaway’s high-speed stability.
It’s highly unlikely the XL Sport will get the green light for even a low-volume production run, but there’s always the potential for a one-make racing series. Failing that, the vehicle may simply serve as an engineering showcase.
Read the latest news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site...
Don't forget to register to comment on this article.
Share this article
Written byGautam Sharma
See all articlesOur team of independent expert car reviewers and journalistsMeet the team
Stay up to dateBecome a carsales member and get the latest news, reviews and advice straight to your inbox.
Subscribe todaySell your car with Instant Offer™
Like trade-in but price is regularly higher
1. Get a free Instant Offer™ online in minutes2. An official local dealer will inspect your car3. Finalise the details and get paid the next business day
Get a free Instant Offer
Related articles
Disclaimer
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
Love every move.
Buy it. Sell it.Love it.
®Contact
Advertise with us
Local marketplaces
International marketplaces
Scan to download the carsales app
Want more info? Here’s our app landing page
App Store and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc. Google Play and the Google Play logo
are trademarks of Google LLC.