VW is killing a project to develop a high-tech super-economy car, a prototype of which has a carbon-fiber body and a 0.3 liter diesel engine that gets 300 miles to the gallon. Unfortunately in driver-comfort terms, its tiny cockpit is the equivalent to Charles Lindberg's "Spirit of St. Louis," with fewer creature comforts. Despite years of development and millions of dollars invested, engineers couldn't tweak it enough to get the selling price below around $30,000. [Thanks to Albert for the tip.]
Hi-tech car is a costly flop, VW admits [The Telegraph (UK)]
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