258 MPG Volkswagen?

Not quite.  Recently I started seeing rumors floating about the internet touting a Volkswagen that gets an impressive 258 miles per gallon and will sell for an unbelievable $600.  Like all things that sound too good to be true, a little research straightened this out too.  I can't seem to pinpoint where the 258 mpg rumors originated, not the $600 price tag but both are erroneous.  According to Wired, the actual fuel economy is a still impressive 170 mpg, but significantly lower than the reports that accompanied the concept photos.  I lost the link now and can't find it again, but the expected price point I saw was a much more believable $26,000. 

The Volkswagen L1 is expected to hit the market in 2013 and when it does it will be far and away the most fuel efficient vehicle on the road, but I still question how well it will sell.  It is an exceptionally small car and while VW touts it's safety design as a top priority, it's still hard to imagine that it would fare well in an accident.  Further more it is so narrow that it looks like a roll over risk.  And with a top speed of 74 mph and a very small engine, I don't know that it is high enough performance to sell well in the US.  Still, I am interested to see how it sells.  It's actually not a bad looking vehicle.