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.]
2010 Chevrolet Camaro priced: LS $22,995, SS $30,995
BREAKING: GM and Chrysler talking about merger
Spy Shots: Nissan 370Z again, with interior shots
2010 Mazda3 unveiled ahead of LA Auto Show
Spy Shots: Nissan 370Z caught undisguised
Knight Rider: The Liveblog -- Season 1, Episode 3
In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Mazda RX-8 R3, return of the "hummer"
In the Autoblog Garage: 2008 Chevy Corvette Z06
Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy
Paris 2008: Le Day 1 Wrapup
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
BILL @ Sep 10th 2007 5:16PM
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?
rv @ Sep 10th 2007 8:37PM
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 @ Sep 10th 2007 9:59PM
rv, what's your beef with Honda? The Civic and fit are great cars..............
------------
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 @ Sep 10th 2007 5:18PM
Very nice this Volkswagen Twingo.
jas12niss @ Sep 10th 2007 5:22PM
Looks like a fat women sat on the beetle's front hood and made this car.
geo.stewart @ Sep 10th 2007 5:53PM
had to laugh. thats pretty good
Matt @ Sep 10th 2007 5:28PM
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...
Helmut Zodl @ Sep 10th 2007 5:40PM
FYI, look at www.vwvortex.com for more pictures/details...
John Metcalf @ Sep 10th 2007 7:28PM
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 @ Sep 10th 2007 5:44PM
EA 266 is back from the dead!
Tsunami Racer @ Sep 10th 2007 5:48PM
does this signal the new design direction for the VW front fascia? no longer the similar yet bastardized audi grille?
RockStoneSteel @ Sep 10th 2007 5:56PM
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.
Wojtek @ Sep 10th 2007 6:03PM
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 @ Sep 10th 2007 6:19PM
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!
Henry @ Sep 10th 2007 6:02PM
VW F'd-up!
Tsunami Racer @ Sep 10th 2007 6:07PM
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."
WooHoo1 @ Sep 10th 2007 6:12PM
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.
The FedEx Man @ Sep 10th 2007 6:13PM
Keep it cheap and cheerful and it could be winner, in Europe anyway - I guess it'd be a bit small for the US.
Rick @ Sep 10th 2007 6:19PM
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.
Barney @ Sep 10th 2007 6:31PM
In Canada this car will do well. Hopefully the quality will better then other VWs. The concept is good with the rear engine over the drive wheels.