The Volkswagon Lupo is not a electric super hybrid... it is just an efficient diesel. That the VW, is a small four passenger car that uses a high-technology ultra-clean burning diesel engine and gets over 90 MPG. This car was launched throughout Europe in the fall of 1998. Volkswagen pioneered green diesel engines beginning in the early '90s when they introduced "direct injection" technology, in which fuel and air are pumped directly into cylinders. This innovation decreased fuel consumption of the already fuel-efficient diesels by 15%. Volkswagen engineered not only eye-opening fuel economy into their diesels, but also dramatically lowered emissions.
Volkswagen is not stopping at 90 MPG, however. They world leader in diesel technology announced that they expect to produce a four-seat diesel powered car that can get 190 MPG! Moreover, new filter designs will reduce particle emissions by another 60%, putting diesel engine vehicles complying with ultra-low emissions standards.
If the Lupo isn't a car suited for the American road or the American consumer, that doesn't mean green diesels aren't. Their practicality is compelling. They use diesel fuel, which costs less and is cheaper to produce. Diesel is a fuel that requires less investment at the refining end than gasoline, less additives, and hence a fuel with less earth-impact to produce. Diesel power plants are simpler than gasoline power plants and require less maintenance. Has anyone analyzed the maintenance challenges the new hybrid engines may present as these cars age? Compare this to diesel engines, which run for years with almost no maintenance. And mileage at nearly 100 MPG, with the prospect of mileage at twice that level, is an impressive factor even in America, the land of cheap fossil fuel.
Source: http://www.ecoworld.org/Articles/Hybrid_Cars_EW.htm