VW microcar gets fast-track to production
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Volkswagen up! concept
European manufacturers seem to have been taken aback by the recent success of their microcars. Now that consumers have gotten a taste of what life is like when you're choosing between filling your tank or your stomach, industry insiders are predicting that the microcar category will only pick up steam. Daimler is sitting pretty with its smart brand, BMW is working on a city-spec Isetta revival, Toyota has responded with its diminutive iQ and VW went small with its Up! concept cars. But VeeDub's got even smaller ideas on its corporate mind, working on an smaller city car to slot below its already dinky Up! model.
Power for the city car will come from either a 1.2L four cylinder or an oil-burning three-pot. That gasoline engine is expected to feature cylinder cutoff technology so it can operate on just half of its allotment of pistons when full power isn't necessary. All of that adds up to an estimatged 117 miles per gallon. And naturally, an electric drivetrain is also in the works.
Current rumors indicate that the German automaker has given this new model priority status, working to get the car on UK roads by 2011. It all sounds good so far, minus the name: Chico. We're confident that they can think of something better.
[Source: Autocar]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
why not the LS2LS7? 1:08PM (11/26/2008)
This will not make 117mpg. Not on any reasonable test. Not even on European overinflated tests. It's an insult to the reader to even say such a thing.
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The Luigiian 1:15PM (11/26/2008)
They estimagated it. That's different.
zamafir 1:39PM (11/26/2008)
I'm not sure why not, the A2 TDI managed 78MPG almost a decade ago, and it was using a larger, older, powerplant. Provide VW sticks to the same formula it shouldn't be that hard to eek out 22 more MPG than they were getting 9 years ago. Hell it even set a few endurance records managing 128MPG back then (hypermiling of course)
I'd expect a lot of the concept to make production, from the composite dash (cheap to build, light, not bad looking) to those very thin seats, everything about the UP! concept felt production ready (even that apple interface), sparse, and purposeful. Besides, the last time a VW chairman said he wanted something done, they did it, the Veyron. Now we have had them saying for the last 3 years that they'll put a 1L car into production between 2010-2012. I don't foresee any issues meeting that goal, especially in the European market, with this platform.
Red 1:42PM (11/26/2008)
My stomach hurts from laughing. It's such a small mistake, but so glaringly funny. Ahh...recession? What bad news?
This is beginning to turn out like 'Ring times and horsepower numbers.
Mobius_1 2:08PM (11/26/2008)
Don't misunderestimate VW.
Bungle 2:42PM (11/26/2008)
@zamafir:
VW would have to achieve 39 more MPG to hit that 117 MPG estimation, not 22. That's exactly 50% higher fuel economy than the A2 TDI that you cited, which is no small feat. The article is somewhat unclear as to which powertrain is estimated at 117 MPG, but it sounds to me like the I-4 gas engine - so that's another hurdle to overcome. Not to mention, I'd assume the 78 MPG used the pre-2008 fuel economy ratings, which are now tighter. Even with a very small, very light I-4 running on the freeway with 2 cylinders deactivated, 117 MPG is very hard to believe. Motorcycles don't achieve that kind of fuel economy, and they're lugging around thousands fewer pounds.
Also, you seem to suggest that the Veyron was a successful project. I wouldn't exactly call it that - sure, they ultimately released a car, but it was late, way overpriced, overweight, and (in my opinion) substantially underperforming given its potential.
happy_penguin 3:02PM (11/26/2008)
Of course it will get 117 miles per gallon.
Rolling downhill in neutral.
Rich 6:17PM (11/26/2008)
Yeah, yeah. Very funny, children.
Add 22 mpg to break 100mpg. You can see what zamafir was aiming at without having to break out the calculator.
Yes, even 117mpg is possible in a car designed around a single figure. Citing motorcycles as evidence that a bigger, heavier vehicle cannot achieve a high mpg is shortsighted: most motorcycles struggle to get better than 50 mpg, while many cars are already breaking this figure.
As for "overinflated European tests" -- has nobody told you that U.S. gallons are 10% smaller?
Now run along children -- go and play with the trains or something.
happy_penguin 7:27PM (11/26/2008)
Go play in the street. Preferably a very busy street.
why not the LS2LS7? 7:36PM (11/26/2008)
Rich: US gallons are more than 10% smaller than Imperial gallons.
But even if you convert correctly, European numbers don't like up. The Prius is rated at 54.7 miles per US gallon in the UK combined (EU4 cycle, 65.69 miles per Imperial gallon). The exact same vehicle is rated at 46 miles per US gallon in the US combined.
Other cars show similarly inflated figures. European mpg ratings are inflated compared to what we are used to in the US. That's what I was referring to.
Even on EU4, even with Imperial gallons, this car will not make 117mpg.
Even if it is rated as such, take a look at the real-world figures on things like the BlueMotion VWs compared to their inflated ratings.
TORONTO 1:16PM (11/26/2008)
Maybe it is possible....
it says " estimatged 117 miles per gallon "
ESTIMATGED!!
Maybe ESTIMATGES means +/- 60 ... lol
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MajorGeek 1:19PM (11/26/2008)
By the time it gets to stores, they will be giving away a tank of gas with the purchase of a hot dog ;)
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Soccer Mom 1:21PM (11/26/2008)
Or a free hotdog with every gallon of gas purchased. With the current market volatility you don't really know.
Rich 6:20PM (11/26/2008)
...because more fuel == better.
Personally, I find filling up to be a chore. That's why I love my TDI.
Soccer Mom 1:19PM (11/26/2008)
Nice car. I wouldn't mind having one of these. 117 mpg was probably given for an electric or some sort of plug-in hybrid powertrain.
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RockStoneSteel 2:30PM (11/26/2008)
Wow, smaller than the Up. I would have considered the Up more competitive with the Smart and IQ. VW has become quite the innovator as of late with their low emission diesels and high tech transmissions. Let's hope they can keep prices reasonable and perhaps get back to being the "people's car".
It's also good to note that they recognize that a lack of horsepower doesn't necessarily equate to better fuel economy (are you listening Smart?). I would rather have an excess of power with a taller final ratio that could give good lower end push with excellent fuel economy.
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zamafir 2:36PM (11/26/2008)
"Let's hope they can keep prices reasonable and perhaps get back to being the "people's car"."
I'm not sure i'll ever understand this logic. The rabbit's not that expensive, and neither is the GTi when compared to the Si, or the passat when compared to the camry, etc. They're all in the same class, and the VW products are a bit more and provide better interiors and typically as enthralling (Si vs GTi) or better (Passat vs Camry) driving experiences.
Are people like you asking VW to go ahead and drop down to kia levels? Or are you stuck in WWII and expect a new beetle to be produced? If that's the case, then Porsche needs to get back to their roots and offer a rebadged beetle, and Lamborghini needs to fill their show rooms with tractors. It's 2008 people, let's be real. Sure the Pheaton isn't where vw belongs, but their current product mix isn't bad, and there's no reason for them to be hunting for kia buyers, not when they continue to excel world wide at what they're doing.
Red 1:46PM (11/26/2008)
@ Zamafir,
There was a 70 MPG B-segment car unveiled at the LA Auto Show just this past Monday (I'm sure it'll get posted at some point, ABG and C&D were there). It wasn't as aerodynamic as it could be and it was a four cylinder engine tuned more for performance than efficiency. Given VW focus on aerodynamics and the efficiency of the 3-cylinder, like you, I see absolutey no reason as to why this couldn't happen.
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Quattrofan 1:46PM (11/26/2008)
"That gasoline engine is expected to feature cylinder cutoff technology so it can operate on just half of its allotment of pistons when full power isn't necessary".
Inquiring mind wants to know. How much exactly is half of 3 cylinders.
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Red 2:25PM (11/26/2008)
One piston plus "ze Ghermin VTEC..."