NOTICIAS DE LA INDUSTRIA AUTOMOTRIZ: German Diesel Prototype Promises 188mpg

Want to make the Toyota Prius seem terribly inefficient and wasteful? Then you’ll need one of these. This is the Loremo L1, a prototype diesel car from Germany that manages an incredible 188mpg.

First shown as a concept at the 2006 Geneva motor show, the Loremo is now a fully running prototype, and will be unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show in September.

It will be available with two engines; a two-cylinder 20hp turbodiesel ” or a three-cylinder 50bhp “GT” turbodiesel, which “only” returns 105mpg.

The Loremo manages this feat through its super-lightweight construction – the standard car weighing just 950lb – and ultra-low drag. Naturally emissions are as low as the fuel economy is high, at under 50g/km of CO2.

The LS hits 62mph in 20sec and tops out at 99mph; the GT 9sec and 137mph. Both cars have five-speed manual gearboxes.

The engine sits in the middle of the car, powering the rear wheels. This means that the rear seats, which are rear-facing, are suitable only for children. Those seats are accessed via the trunk, but it’s the way you get into the front of the car that will most surprise. The entire front section of the car hinges forward, dashboard included, and you climb aboard.

Standard kit includes airbags, air-con, sat-nav a radio and MP3 stereo.

The Loremo is in the running for the multi-million dollar Automotive X-Prize, which is for the firm that can create the first commercially viable car capable of over 100mpg. Loremo reckons that the car will start at around $15k.