Auto News 5

For the past quarter century or so, Volkswagen has employed a fairly systemic formula for the GLI, the performance variant of the Jetta sedan -- add horsepower, sporty suspension bits, body kit, rinse and repeat -- and the song remains the same for the 2012 Volkswagen Jetta GLI. But as the new Jetta moves away from its Golf roots and into the cushy mainstream sedan arena, will the GLI be softer as well?

With its shapely sheetmetal, usable cabin, and production intent, the 261-mpg Volkswagen XL1 seems too good to be true. But to believe in the Volkswagen XL1, you simply have to recognize that the Bugatti Veyron exists. Both cars are pet projects of Dr. Ferdinand Piech, the authoritative chairman of the Volkswagen Group's supervisory board who is drawn to extreme cars. And after delivering a 260-mph supercar, Piech is now set on building a 260-mpg ecocar. While a hyper-efficient two-seater may not be as sexy as a Veyron and could never command its $1.7-million price, the engineering and ingenuity behind the XL1 is just as impressive as that which went into the Bugatti.