Some of the greenest vehicles in town are at the Eco Expo Asia fair, which runs at AsiaWorld-Expo until tomorrow evening. The highlight is the Volkswagen L1 (below), which was launched last year as 'the world's most fuel-efficient car', and shipped to Hong Kong 'especially for this event', says Volkswagen Hong Kong spokesman Samson Leung.
The plane-like L1 has a 3.81-metre carbon-fibre, reinforced-plastic body that is as long as the Volkswagen Fox, as squat off-the-road as a Lamborghini Murci?lago and, at 380kg, weighs as much as a 1200cc touring motorcycle.
The L1's wind resistance and width is just 1.2 metres as the marque seats a passenger behind the driver under an aircraft-like glass canopy. The compact is powered by a little two-cylinder 800cc turbodiesel engine, a 10kW electric motor and a seven-speed Direct Shift Gearbox that can achieve 100km/h in 14.3 seconds and a top speed of 'up to 160km/h', the marque says.
Equipped with regenerative braking technology, the L1 also consumes 1.38 litres of diesel per 100km, has a 'theoretical' driving range of about 670km on a 10-litre tank and emits just 36 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre, Volkswagen says. The L1's Michelin Energy Saver tyres were also designed to be larger and narrower to reduce their deformation and roll resistance on the road.
Volkswagen Hong Kong has also shipped in a Hong Kong version of the Milano electric taxi that was launched in Hanover, Germany this year. The 3.73-metre taxi has a single swivel-sliding door that opens far forward on the passenger's side and extends well into the roof to improve passenger access.
The driver sits alone up front to create space for luggage and more legroom under a panoramic glass roof that the marque says gives passengers 'the added viewing perspective of the city's architecture', or Hong Kong's neon.