Volkswagen is looking to conquer the cheap car market with its new family of small cars, tentatively referred to as the up! cars. Having previously shown the first up! concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Volkswagen usedTokyo to devut the minivan version of the up!. Called the 'space up!' concept, it's 23cm longer than the previous three-door hatchback up!, has a longer wheelbase and is slightly taller. The larger dimensions and improved packaging help the space up! fit around "4.5m of legroom in a vehicle just 3.68m long", or at least that's what VW execs kept insisting at the press conference.

The concept also features suicide doors and can seat four people, including two children thanks to its built-in child seats. With the engine in the rear of the car, there's space in the front for stowing gear, as well as a handy tailgate in the back for more substantial equipment. Though the official shots don't do the design justice, in real life the concept is entirely plausible for production. Check out our live shots of the space up! in the gallery below.

Gallery: Volkswagen up! Space Concept

All live photos (C)2007 Siddharth Raja / Weblogs, Inc.

Tokyo Motor Show: VW drops the up! space in Japan originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Oct 2007 23:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.