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" Nobody knew what VW had in store for the Los Angeles Auto Show, just that it was some kind of concept. Well, the Up! Lite is just that, and more, a good representation of a VW that we might see, say, in about five years. Looking like it was chiseled out of a single block of billet aluminum, the Up! Lite is a 4-seat diesel-electric hybrid that VW says will get 70 mpg in EPA combined city and highway driving. Key to this is efficiency is its super slippery shape, a light curb weight of only 1530 lb. and, most important, the hybrid powertrain, which drives the front wheels through a twin-clutch 7-speed DSG transmission. The engine, a 0.8-liter 2-cylinder TDI (which displaces exactly 800 cc), is effectively half of the 1.6-liter 4-cylinder TDI available in several European-market VWs. Between 1800 and 2250 rpm, this diesel makes its peak torque of 89 lb.-ft., and its maximum horsepower of 50 bhp is reached at 4000 rpm. Of note, when an &amp;quot;Eco&amp;quot; button is pushed, maximum horsepower is limited to 36 bhp for optimized economy. What Volkswagen calls a &amp;quot;pulse start module&amp;quot; is actually an electric motor that is integrated onto a driveshaft between the engine and the DSG gearbox. The 10-kw electric motor, when called upon to assist the small TDI powerplant, bumps the total system output to 64 bhp. In addition to being fitted with a stop/start feature, the TDI engine shuts off when the driver lifts off the accelerator pedal to save fuel. In this situation, the system automatically de-clutches the TDI and uses the kinetic energy to recharge the Up! Light&amp;#039;s lithium-ion battery pack. And in very light city driving, such as in residential areas, the electric motor can handle all propulsion duties, although VW did not provide specific range figures for pure-electric driving. Thanks in part to the Up! Lite&amp;#039;s incredible fuel efficiency, VW says this engine is one of the most environmentally friendly in the world, producing only 65 grams of CO2 per kilometer traveled. Efforts toward this emissions reduction include special piston recesses, multiple injection, special tuning of the individual intake jets, as well as exhaust gas recirculation, an oxidizing catalytic converter and a particulate filter. Interesting details abound in the Up! Light. The rearview mirrors are actually video cameras. The roof is carbon fiber. And the touch-screen navigation allows you to select the most energy efficient route, based in part on topography. It&amp;#039;s theoretically possible to maximize coast-down phases, all in the interest of maximized efficiency. Put simply, the Up! Lite is related to the innovative 2-seat L1 shown at Frankfurt, but is a much more realistic version of what a fuel-efficient future Volkswagen will be. In other news, VW showed the final version of its New Beetle, a 2011 model that will be available in a special two-tone paint scheme and in an assortment of new colors. Both coupes and convertibles will be available. VW says a new version of the New Beetle, which hasn&amp;#039;t been given a name yet, will make its debut in the U. S. in June of 2011, based on an all-new chassis. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-shows/los-angeles-auto-show/news/a15284/volkswagen-up-lite/>