Toyota Aygo city car approaches 100 mpg

Improvements to the Toyota Aygo mean that from next year the small city car will be capable of almost 100 miles per gallon.

The three-cylinder,1 litre petrol engine uses an Atkinson Cycle to help eturn up to 93 mpg – a rate of consumption equivalanet to CO₂ emissions of less than 72 g/km.

If 93mpg for a petrol-powered city car sounds impressive, consider the XL1; a diesel two-seater hybrid from VW that returns over 300 mpg.

The car has been in development for ten years as part of the company’s goal of producing a car capable of travelling 100km using no more than one litre of fuel. The XL1 combines a small diesel engine with an electric motor and manages to surpass this target by ten per cent – the equivalent of 313 mpg.

Lightweight and slippery

The 800 kg XL1 is capable of 99 mph and a 0-60 time of 11.9 seconds. Its CO₂ figure is a scooter-beating 24g/km.

The designers took the motor from a VW 1.6-litre TDI turbo diesel and chopped it in half before coupling it to a14hp electric motor. The car can travel for 22 miles on electric power alone. VW have made the XL1 as slippery as possible – the seats are staggered, which makes for a narrower and more aerodynamic shape (drag coefficient 0.186), and the car swaps wing mirrors for cameras.

Super-efficient, four-seater cars

VW XL1 may boast astounding fuel efficiency, but what if you need more than two seats?

The Automotive X Prize, a competition to find the best super-efficient vehicles capable of 100mpg (or energy equivalent), has been won by

The Edison 2 Very Light Car has a performance almost identical to the VW XL1, but can carry four passengers and return 120 mpg.

The distinctive-looking car uses a rear-mounted, single-cylinder motorcycle engine running on a blend of 85 per cent ethanol and 15 per cent petrol to produce 40 horsepower.