One of the most fascinating concept car that is to be unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Expo will be the latest version of Volkswagen’s 1-liter concept. The concept derives its name from the amount of kilometer it will be able to travel using a single litre of fuel. Converting kilometers to miles and kilograms to gallons, this will translate into a mind boggling 235 miles to a gallon. Latest iteration of the 1-liter concept will consume 1.49 liters to travel 100 kilometers, which translates to almost 158 miles per gallon. The 1-liter concept is noteworthy as it is a pointer to the future of automobiles.

The original, 1-liter concept was launched in 2002 and claimed 235 miles per gallon. However, the car was utterly impractical to be manufactured as the materials used to manufacture the car would have been more at home on an inter-planetary, space craft than a fuel-saving car. This time, however, Volkswagen has stuck to conventional material to make this car. Though VW had in the past claimed that they will start production the 1-liter can by 2010, the new latest version of the concept shows that the car is still under the development phase. They now intend to bring out the production-ready car by 2013.

The latest one liter car called the Tandem is a diesel two-seater car. It has a tiny two cylinder, diesel engine that employs a turbocharger to produce 36 horsepower. A seven speed double-clutch gearbox helps in transferring the power from the engine to the wheels efficiently. The main reason for fuel efficiency of the car is its light weight. The total weight of the car is just 1100 pounds. To put that into perspective, a normal, small hatchback weight almost thrice as much as the 1-liter concept.

The weight reduction can be attributed to indiscriminate use of carbon fiber and other composite materials. The passenger seat is located directly behind the driver seats so as to make the design highly aerodynamic. The rear wheel is hidden under the body to reduce the air turbulence. The rear-view mirrors made way to rear view cameras to keep the body uncluttered. The door of this car opens like the cockpit of a fighter jet.