Frankfurt 2007: Volkswagen reveals rear-engined concept, the up!
by Chris Tutor on Sep 10th 2007 at 4:59PM 
Volkswagen returns to its rear-engined roots with the up! concept, unveiled Monday before the Frankfurt Auto Show. VW CEO Martin Winterkorn gave a strong indication the four-seat car could see production one day as a part of the company's New Small Family lineup.Winterkorn also hinted at the car being sold internationally under VW, Seat and Skoda brands to spread around costs.
The up! is about 136 inches long and 64 inches wide with seating for four, rear-wheel drive and modest luggage space under the hood. A VW logo faintly shows through the rear plastic hatch, but glows when the brake lights come on.
With the up!, VW is breaking its recent trend of chasing the high-end of the market at the same time it brings back a Volkswagen power train setup not seen since the original Beetle. Formula for success? It worked once before.
[Sources: Drive and Autmotive News - Sub. Req.]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Rick 6:19PM (9/10/2007)
I don't know that VW has recently broken any high end trend. I looked at a Jetta and with options is was near $30K! For a compact! They might have base models cheap, but with options those prices shoot up. So I've seen nothing to indicate a step back from high end pricing.
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BILL 5:16PM (9/10/2007)
VW needs to add the word "Chuck" to the name of this abomination. What is up with automotive stylists? Are all these guys hanging around at Subaru?
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rv 8:37PM (9/10/2007)
Hey now, its not half as bad as some of the junk McHonda is pumping out for the states - the McCivic and McFit come to mind. Subaru has nothing on them. Perhaps Subaru needs a vanilla McWhiteGuy cartoon character to peak your interest...
2o6 9:59PM (9/10/2007)
rv, what's your beef with Honda? The Civic and fit are great cars..............
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This VW concept is quite drab. I just hope they don't charge too much for it. Will it replace the VW Fox? Will it even be sold in the US?
Guglielmo 5:18PM (9/10/2007)
Very nice this Volkswagen Twingo.
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jas12niss 5:22PM (9/10/2007)
Looks like a fat women sat on the beetle's front hood and made this car.
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geo.stewart 5:53PM (9/10/2007)
had to laugh. thats pretty good
Matt 5:28PM (9/10/2007)
I don't know about you guys, but this looks like a Volkswagen from a sci-fi film that could wear a Rabbit or Golf badge...
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The Other Bob 10:01AM (9/11/2007)
Why wouldn't they just make the Beetle rwd, rear engine like it used to be, instead of this freaky thing.
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RockStoneSteel 5:56PM (9/10/2007)
Very cool concept. Just slope the back window for a bit more streamlined look before bringing it to the US. Also, make sure it has enough horsepower to get from 0-60 in less than 10 seconds. The US is ready for such a vehicle if it looks good and has adequate/comparable performance to existing vehicles sold here. The Smart car is close, but it also has the very vertical rear window (i.e. typical European) and is woefully underpowered.
It also needs to have a decent 4 wheel independent suspension and colorful options.
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Wojtek 6:03PM (9/10/2007)
Should have independent rear suspension? It's so un-American... ;-)
RWD + small city commuter doesn't add up. It would have to keep the luggage space in front to literally zero, in order to keep up with the frontal crash safety requirements.
spots 6:19PM (9/10/2007)
0-60 under 10 seconds? This isn't a muscle car. Slow cars just require a different driving technique is all.
Bring it to the US with a small turbodiesel and highway mileage over 50 mpg, and I'll buy one! Regardless of how it looks, it's better looking and more useful than a Smart!
Helmut Zodl 5:40PM (9/10/2007)
FYI, look at www.vwvortex.com for more pictures/details...
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John Metcalf 7:28PM (9/10/2007)
Thanks for the link. Although I agree that the exterior styling is hardly cutting edge (not as bad as some would indicate here), I really like the simple, clean look of the interior. This is what I expected of future car interiors, not dark materials and wood veneers.
Uncle Waney 5:44PM (9/10/2007)
EA 266 is back from the dead!
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dean 9:56PM (9/13/2007)
I think the styling is not too different from the Rabbit, but its just got a few superficial things that make it look different. Except the rear glass. That wouldn't make production.
I like the idea of a small family car, but would it sell? You know how everyone wants larger cars to make their families safer. Which is quite legitimate. Still, if it gets good safety ratings, I'd transport my (someday) family in it.
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Tsunami Racer 5:48PM (9/10/2007)
does this signal the new design direction for the VW front fascia? no longer the similar yet bastardized audi grille?
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Henry 6:02PM (9/10/2007)
VW F'd-up!
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Tsunami Racer 6:07PM (9/10/2007)
btw, we can take a page out of soft drink advertising:
"With limited time factory-to-dealer incentives, it's never been easier to make a new 2009 Volkswagen Up yours."
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WooHoo1 6:12PM (9/10/2007)
Will work ONLY if its cheap, trifty(mpg) and looks better - not cuter either. Its ok, but I am not sutaibly stimulated. We want a cheap, fun to drive VW that's easy to own and work on and will last 900,000 miles. Why? That's what the last beetle was and we all miss that simplicity.
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