German carmaker Volkswagen has launched the new compressed natural gas (CNG) and biomethane powered Eco Up! car, which is claimed to be world's most economical CNG vehicle.
Offered as two-door and four-door versions, the new car is equipped with an upgraded 1.0L three-cylinder engine that generates an output power of about 50kW and 90Nm of torque, while consuming 2.9kg of CNG per 100km.
The new car is aimed at achieving a 0-100km/h sprint in 15.8 seconds, while offering a top speed of 168 km/h.
According to the German carmaker, the car can also be powered by alternative fuels including renewable biomethane, which is carbon dioxide (CO2)-neutral.
The new eco up! joins the carmaker's other CNG powered models including the Caddy 2.0 EcoFuel, Caddy Maxi 2.0 EcoFuel , the Touran 1.4 TSI EcoFuel, the Passat and Passat Estate 1.4 TSI EcoFuel.
Volkswagen is also planning to manufacture the EcoFuel version of Golf in 2013.
Currently, Germany has around 97,000 natural gas vehicles, while between 2005 and 2011 CNG vehicles in the country doubled 382,000 to 785,000 cars.
