With the recent management changes at Volkswagen, and the ascent to power once again of Ferdinand Piech, many of the projects canceled or shelved by his predecessor are now back on track. One of those reportedly back in development is the so-called "1-liter" car.

That designation does not refer to the engine displacement (at only 300cc, it's considerably less) but rather to its ultra-miserly 200-plus miles per gallon fuel consumption. Granted, with its single-cylinder normally-aspirated diesel making only 8.5 horsepower, it won't exactly set any quarter-mile records, but at only 640 pounds, its weight is closer to that of a motorcycle than a car.

Diesel Power's Take: Okay, so it's not a 1,000 lb/ft-plus diesel monster truck. But 200 miles per gallon is a remarkable achievement. If it achieved even half that, it would be significant. Chances are we're not going to see this vehicle in production anytime soon, and even less likely that we'll see it in the U.S. But the higher fuel prices go, the more likely this vehicle, and others like it, will see production.