Filed under: Economy, Hybrids/Alternative, Euro, Hatchbacks, Volkswagen
Volkswagen up! More details revealed
Click above for high-res gallery of the Volkswagen up!
Volkswagen's adorable little up! has the ambitious goal of becoming the next original Beetle, and new info on Auto Express seems to indicate that the Germans in Wolfsburg may be on to something. The up! will feature both gasoline and diesel-powered engines with a minuscule displacement of only .6 turbocharged liters, and a larger 1.2L three-cylinder engine may be planned, as well.
The up! will also be extremely fuel efficient, with U.S. fuel economy numbers near 80 mpg. Perhaps the most eye-catching bit of info is the base price of the handsome little micro: models will sell for as little as £4,500 in emerging markets and more richly equipped European models will start around £7,500. VW is also looking at making both a three- and five-door up! with the exact same wheelbase, as well a roomier MPV version and even a hybrid. VW also says that the 11 foot long up! will also feature the roomiest cabin in its class. Is it just us, or does the amazing little up! almost sound too good to be true? We'll find out for sure next year when the production up! is released to the public.
Gallery: VW up!
Gallery: VW space up! blue
[Source: Auto Express]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Sam 9:55AM (4/17/2008)
No mention of this coming to North America.
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Soccer Mom 10:02AM (4/17/2008)
That is exactly what we needed for a long time - fuel efficient, good looking small cars.
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Matt B 10:28AM (4/17/2008)
That will look just as good when they get run over by a SUV, or any real car.
Soccer Mom 10:35AM (4/17/2008)
Sure, at $5/gallon there will be small armies of Chevy Suburbans running after those small cars just to run them over.
eddy 10:44AM (4/17/2008)
Well I have seen a crash between a 1998 VW Lupo and a Mercedes S-class near Aachen. The speed was about 30 or 40 km/h and the G-class crashed into the Lupos rear end. The Lupo did look a little crashed, but the passengers of the Lupo had no serious injuries. So I guess that such cars can be quite save.
Galley 10:07AM (4/17/2008)
I'd be all over the five-door.
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JSSJ 10:07AM (4/17/2008)
If the production 3-door model looks anything like the concept I would run to buy one- good looks, affordability, great MPG, RWD (i know, its not a fast car but still)- please bring this one to NA Volkswagen!
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Me too 10:09AM (4/17/2008)
What I see on the pictures looks good both from inside and outside. What I read in the article, i.e. MPG and $$, makes it even more attractive.
I want one today!
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zamafir 10:11AM (4/17/2008)
I'd buy the five door in a heartbeat, esp if it came with the mmi-ish system seen on the one at the LA show, plus it was actually comfortable inside! And while it clearly was a budget car, it didn't feel cheap inside like the aveo et-al.
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Josh 10:12AM (4/17/2008)
Please VWAG, do not stiff the North American market on this. Please.
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Kattleox 10:12AM (4/17/2008)
"...has the ambitious goal of becoming the next original Beetle."
People keep trying this and it doesn't work. What "made" the beetle is that it was basically made out of legos. You could put a 1000hp engine in it and it would take only a few hours. You can completely remove the body (13 bolts, I think it was held on by) and but on the awesome bradley GT body. If little sports cars dont suit your taste, then baja your bug. Your beetle was whatever you wanted your beetle to be. However, no auto manufacturer can do that now. They instead have to worry about failure points, safety numbers, and all this instead of how you can customise it into the ground. I don't think we will ever have a car as versetile or loved as the beetle again.
Why not say: Volkswagen's adorable little up! has the ambitious goal of becoming the next rabbit.
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Farris 11:04AM (4/17/2008)
Great points, but one small correction: it was 13 bolts per heater channel, then 6 more in the back and 6 more in the front for a total of 25. (I just put my 68's body back on a few weeks ago :D)
And c'mon. I REALLY REALLY want the up! to be released in the US market, but the reality is that we won't see it for a long time...
...at least as long as we still have MPG regulations fighting against SAFETY regulations fighting against EMISSIONS regulations. It's a wonder that automakers can release anything here in the US nowadays.
berthok 10:21AM (4/17/2008)
I don't like the styling of this VW... but at 80 mpg who cares what it looks like!
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zamafir 10:36AM (4/17/2008)
Have you walked around it in person? It's a lot like the new jag, quite a bit better in person then in photos, though i fear that rear hatch won't make production as is.
MajorGeek 11:01AM (4/17/2008)
Im happy to see fuel efficient cars in an attractive package. Sure, not the hottest design ever, but more companies have cars coming that look nice. I always found the Prius design horribly ugly as a the current poster boy of fuel efficient cars. The new Honda looks like a Prius on steroids to me, so some originality is nice.
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DP 12:08PM (4/17/2008)
This is great. I'm glad to see more entries into the small, efficient, smartly-styled cars. Can't wait for this to become available.
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moose 12:42PM (4/17/2008)
If they deliver it as promised in the article (cheap, good styling, fantastic MPG) this could become the i-pod of cars.
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Disgruntled Goat 1:23PM (4/17/2008)
So why does VW keep having such a hard time with names? Toureg? Tiguan? Up!? Looks cool but please give it a name that I won't feel like a tool pronouncing.
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tuna 1:27PM (4/17/2008)
Toureg and Tiguan hard to pronounce? C'mon...
montoym 8:16PM (4/17/2008)
It likely won't be called the Up! That's just the name of the concept. Really, I think it will be the next Lupo.
VW called the Scirocco concept the IROC(scIROCco), so why wouldn't the up! be the next lUPo?
I beleive the comparisons to the Beetle have more to do with the fact that it's Rear-engined and RWD like the original Beetle. That, and it's aimed at being an entry-level car.