Volkswagen Reveals Ducati Panigale-Powered XL Sport

The Volkswagen Group-Ducati relationship has finally birth its first child, with the German manufacturer revealing the XL Sport concept car powered by the 1199 Superleggera‘s V-Twin engine at the Paris Motor Show. Though only a concept model, the XL Sport received the special honor of being the 200 millionth vehicle produced by the Volkswagen.

Based on the earlier limited-production VW XL1 car, the XL Sport swaps out its diesel plug-in hybrid powertrain for Ducati’s 1199cc engine which claims 197 hp and 98.8 ft-lb. The engine is only slightly modified for the XL Sport, maintaining its titanium connecting rods and Ducati’s desmodromic valve system. Vents in the rear fenders direct cooling air to the engine.

Volkswagen did develop an intermediate gearbox to reduce the engine speed by a factor of 1.86, as well as a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox to deliver power to the rear axle.

A key philosophy behind both the original XL1 and the Ducati Superleggera was to keep it as light as possible for an impressive power-to-weight ratio. Volkswagen tried to continue that with the XL Sport, claiming a weight of 1962 pounds. Combined with an aerodynamic design (VW claims a drag coefficient of 0.258), Volkswagen says the XL Sport can reach a top speed of 167.8 mph with a 0-100 km (0-62 mph) acceleration time of 5.7 seconds.

The XL Sport’s features include a monocoque frame, gull-wing doors, ceramic brake discs, LED headlights and fender-integrated cameras and digital displays that serve as mirrors.

For more information on the Volkswagen XL Sport, visit our sister site Autoguide.com.

[Source: Volkswagen]

By Dennis Chung