Volkswagen Up! 2012 News

While the Up might have the interior space and features of a larger car, its prices are in keeping with its small footprint -- less than the VW Polo.Shown in production form at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show, the Up is an entirely new vehicle that offers space for four, the latest technology and highly efficient engines.From launch, the Up will be available with two 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine options as well as a BlueMotion Technology version; it will have three doors and three trim levels Take Up, Move Up and High Up plus a special edition, the Up black and Up white. A five-door version is expected to join the line-up in the second half of 2012.Starts with the 1.0-litre 44kW Take Up. Key items of specification include body-coloured bumpers, daytime running lights, front and side head/thorax airbags, the new RCD 215 CD radio with aux-in, rear ISOFIX points, and 14-inch steel wheels.Move Up brings a host of comfort-oriented features, including remote central locking, air conditioning, electric front windows, easy-entry seats, a height-adjustable driver's seat, variable-height load floor and 60:40 split/fold rear seats. Outside, the Move Up gains body-coloured door mirrors and handles.For a bit more the Move Up, BlueMotion Technology adds a Stop/Start system that reduces urban fuel consumption by up to six per cent, battery regeneration and low rolling resistance tyres.These measures enhance combined fuel economy The 55kW High Up gains heated front seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, gear lever and handbrake grip, electrically heated and adjustable door mirrors, the Maps & More personal infotainment device and a choice of dashboard colour.From the outside, the High Up is distinguished by its front fog lights and 15-inch alloy wheels. Options will be kept to simple packs.

The smallest baby Volkswagen is finally official with pictures of the car that will go public next month and into production in 2012.It is called the up! - at least, in Volkswagen-speak - and promises plenty for anyone who wants, or needs, a 21st century city car.The Up is considerably smaller than the Polo at just 3.54 metres long, 1.64 metres wide and 1.48 metres tall, but has a four-seater body sitting behind a new generation of three-cylinder engines.Volkswagen says the car will be ready for the road in December and promises three models - the Take Up, Move Up and High Up.A fully-electric Up is also in the works.Economy will start in the 4.2 litres/100km region with emissions below 100 grams/kilometre of CO2.The most important option on the Up is a new city-safety system with automatic emergency braking, but there is also an infotainment system that includes navigation and can be removed from the car for use as what VW describes as a Personal Infotainment Device.There is no news yet on pricing, or arrival timing for the Up in Australia, with full details expected next month at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Volkswagen Australia head Anke Koeckler confirms they would like to get the production version of the little Up here as soon as possible."We are still working on this but we are keen enough to get it out within the next two years," Koeckler says. "Better earlier than later, because I think there is a demand."Motor shows over the past four years have seen a string of Up concepts: rear-drive boxer engine, hybrid and electric versions with hatchback, convertible and multi-purpose bodies. However the production version that will be unveiled at Frankfurt motor show in September is set to have a super-frugal three-cylinder engine, and will seat four - cosily, we imagine - in a tiny three-door hatch body.Koeckler says that while the segment is still in its infancy, the Up might attract attention overall to the city car option."We have not a lot of competition still in this segment, but I think a lot of customers might like this segment once we have the Up to offer," she says. "And in launching this car in the Australian market, the strong currency might help us to get the positive answer from our headquarters."In the meantime, while Koeckler looks forward to plugging gaps at the other end of the Volkswagen line-up by adding new versions of the Amarok ute, she says firm timing has still not been set."We are working on having the single-cab Amarok, as we promised already during our launch and we might have this car actually by next year," she says. "We are working also on automatic versions, because we know we have to have the full range for the Amarok. But I can't give you any feedback on dates to be honest."The near future will focus on the new Touareg arriving in July, which Koeckler says will boost flagging sales of the SUV, which has suffered supply problems."We didn't have the production," she says. The current model Volkswagen Australia has been selling was out of stock production some time ago, and dealers have been able to work with only the remaining stockpile. "But there's not a lot of stock left. And I can tell you we are getting a lot of requests asking when the new Touareg is coming."

To close demand for a quality sub-small car, Volkswagen Group Australia is pushing for the baby Up city car to boost its line up.VGA managing director Anke Koeckler, speaking at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney, says the Up would arrive by 2012 and sit under the Polo in size and price.That means the tiny hatchback will have to slip in under the Polo's $16,690 net price and become the first European in the Asian-dominated sub-$16,000 segment.It could be rivalled, however, by the possible importation of the Peugeot 107 and/or Citroen C1.Ms Koeckler says the move to go Up was spurred by the strength of the Australian dollar over the past few months - and particularly its recent parity with the US dollar - and Volkswagen's decision to make the car in right-hand drive.Volkswagen is setting high standards for the 3.84m long Up.The car, born as a concept and first shown at the 2007 Frankfurt motor show, will mirror the safety gear of the Polo - that's at least six airbags and electronic stability control. It is likely to arrive as a three-door though it is expected that a five-door - on a stretched wheelbase - could follow.More body styles are possible. Rumours suggest the platform could become a convertible - creating a baby Beetle - and city delivery van.Engine choices were initially limited because the concept has a rear engine placement.But now Volkswagen has changed that to a front-engine/front-drive layout and is able to pick up the drivetrain from the Polo.That can include Polo's three-cylinder 1.2 FSI engine and the 1.2 TSI four-cylinder turbo-petrol.It could even include the Up Lite concept's 0.8 litre two-cylinder turbo-diesel (it's a 1.6 TDI cut in  half) mated to an electric motor for 2.44 litres/100km and 65 grams per kilometre of CO2.An all-electric Up has been promised by Volkswagen and will debut in Europe in 2013. It hasn't been ruled out for Australia.

It also points the way for a new family of Volkswagen small cars from 2011. The ultra-frugal Up! Lite is VW's Los Angeles Motor Show star.  Drawing inspiration from the L1 Concept which debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, VW has packaged a more user friendly body with a drag coeffficent of just 0.237 - that's ultra-slippery.It is capable of seating four adults and is driving by a hybrid that sips fuel at just 2.5 litres/100km while emitting just 65 g/km of CO2.  How does it do it?  The car tips the scales at just 695kg, almost 30 per cent lighter than the VW Fox.The Up! Lite is powered by an 800cc two cylinder common rail diesel engine closely linked to that seen in the L1 Concept developing 38kW at 4000 revs and 120Nm between 1800 revs and 2250 revs.  The diesel engine is combined with a 10kW electric motor to give the Up! Lite a useful boost when overtaking. Alternatively it can be disengaged from the diesel engine entirely and used during low speed manoeuvres.Gear changes are carried out via a seven-speed twin clutch DSG automatic gearbox.  As with VW's BlueMotion models, the Up! Lite uses a start-stop system to maximise efficiency and regenerative braking.  The car is built from a light mix of materials including aluminium and carbon fibre to keep the vehicles kerb weight to a minimum.  Even the diesel engine is a featherweight, weighing just 55kg.  This allows the concept's modest hybrid drivetrain to push the car to 100km/h in 12.5 seconds before reaching a top speed of 160km/h.The styling joins the mechanical changes in breaking new ground for Volkswagen.  It debuts a new styling direction with obvious references to the current Polo and Golf but with entirely new elements such as the rear end styling and the window line.  At 3840mm long, it is slightly shorter than the Polo and is styled to maximise aerodynamic efficiency.  The radiator grille closes shuts off completely when its not required and tiny cameras which take the place of conventional wing mirrors to improve aerodynamics. 

The sparky newcomers are almost everywhere at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, easily the biggest motoring event of the year. But no-one can look past the first battery-powered supercar from a major manufacturer, the Audi e-tron, which turns the mid-engined R8 road rocket into a genuine future car.A giant lithium-ion battery pack and electric motors for each wheel - putting a new twist on Audi's signature quattro drive - ensure the racy red concept car can zap to 100km/h in 4.8 seconds and has a top speed limited to 200km/h. Proving it's now just a flashy fraud, Audi says it has a range of 248 kilometres between recharging.But the Audi e-tron is just the start of the electric action at the show. Volkswagen has converted its tiny Up! cit y car into a plug-and-play runner, Renault has four surprise electric concept cars, and Mercedes-Benz is showing three electric-powered concept cars that get their volts from sources including a conventional home socket and a hybrid fuel cell.Inevitably, there are hybrid cars on the stands of almost every maker - with BMW setting the benchmark - but the serious talk is about a fully electric future in the years beyond 2015. "We are at the tipping point now with electric cars," says the head of Mercedes-Benz, Dieter Zetsche. "Electricity within the car as a growing percentage is the name of the game."Officially Benz only has its concepts but, behind the scenes, it is finalising a battery-powered version of its SLS super-coupe for full-scale production in 2012. The born-again Gullwing currently uses a stonking AMG V8 motor but development of the plug-in SLS already has produced a car with a top speed of 215km/h and a range of 240 kilometre, with an eventual target of at least 250 and 350.The update of the Up! from Volkswagen comes two years after the company first tickled potential buyers with a modern interpretation of the basic Beetle. It lost the rounded body but was compact, cost-effective and capable of converting young customers.This time the plug-in car has 240 kilograms of lithium-ion batteries that allow it to accelerate to 100km/h in 11.3 seconds with a top speed of 140km/h and a range of more than 120km.The car has space inside for three adults and a child - or luggage - despite a body that is just 3.199 metres long. And its trimmed-down equipment means old-fashioned manual adjustment for the windows and mirrors.The E-Up! concept looks headed for production, based on the unveiling speech of Volkswagen's chairman, Dr Martin Winterkorn. "Cars with pure petrol and diesel engines - which in the foreseeable future will continue to be unbeatable for mid- to long-range distances - will be supplemented by cars like the E-Up! in coming years. And that will happen starting in 2013," he says. "The concept now being presented in Frankfurt very realistically shows how we envision such a Volkswagen with pure electric drive technology, visually and in terms of size." Still, it's the e-tron that is drawing the big crowds.It looks like a mildly-tweaked R8 and that is just what Audi wants, as it knows the car is its hero.Visually, the only real differences are the lack of air intakes for the radiators and a clean-up of the wheels and nose, as the 4 70 kilogram battery pack, inverter and computer controller sit in the space behind the seats that is normally filled by either a V8 or V10 petrol engine.But the changes run deep, down to a heat pump for the cabin and a thermal management system for the battery pack. The cabin is also missing the central console needed for a conventional gearshift, there are lightweight ceramic disc brakes and an energy recovery system.Audi says the battery pack can be recharged from a home socket in six to eight hours, although this drops to 2.5 hours with a high-voltage charger. "We are trying to find a concept that requires no compromises," says Michael Dick, the Audi board member in charge of technical development. "Electromobility means more to us than just electrifying conventional cars. Instead, we are dedicated to a holistic approach to all aspects of the topic." 

...and used its latest plug-in project — the e-up — to demonstrate their viability. The four-seater electric concept has a 60kW/200Nm electric motor that is recharged via a socket concealed behind the

A production version of the Up! concept cars has just been confirmed for 2011 and all the signs point to a car which will be the right size and price to slide in below the Polo down under. Volkswagen has given few specifics on how the Up! will go from motor show tease to showroom reality, but it has chosen Slovakia as the production site for what is being called the 'New Small Family'. This could mean one car or many to satisfy the needs of the Volkswagen, Seat and Skoda brands. But there will definitely be both three and five-door hatchbacks - at least at first. Volkswagen Group began its search for a price fighter in 2007 when it unveiled the original Up! concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show, complete with a rear-mounted engine. It stretched the idea into a baby people mover a few weeks later at the Tokyo Motor Show. It has now chosen the factory at Bratislava in Slovakia to build the production car, partly because the site already feeds four brands at the same time. "Our team at Volkswagen in Slovakia is ideally prepared to provide the flexibility required for the production of the New Small Family," says the chairman of Volkswagen Group, Dr Martin Winterkorn. Volkswagen is expected to get the Up! first - if it carries that name, followed by Seat and Skoda. The plans for Australia are just as murky, although Volkswagen says it is keen to get the car. "The Up! is still a concept and they have not confirmed the production car," says Volkswagen Group spokesman, Karl Gehling. But he admits the 'New Small Family' is being watched closely. "It's something we'll certainly be looking at. It will have to be price competitive but it looks a very promising product to expand our range."

The German brand, one of the few mainstream players in Australia to increase sales this year despite the economic crisis, has revealed it wants to add a micro car to its local line up. In contention is the two-seat city car, dubbed the Chico, which is being developed by VW in Europe to take on Toyota's new iQ and the Smart Fortwo. Jutta Dierks, the head of VW Group Australia, has given strong support to the addition of the tiny compact to VW's line up here. It would slot in under the existing Polo, the smallest car currently sold by VW in this country. "Would we want it? Of course we would. It would be a perfect model for us to attract a whole new group of buyers to the VW brand," she says. But there are a couple of major stumbling blocks. It is still not known if the micro car, tipped for sale in Europe in 2010, will be available in right-hand drive. "We would only be interested if it were available with an automatic transmission - that's a must,” Dierks says. "But it would be a fabulous car for us. It's firmly on our wish list. We have never, in recent times anyway, had a car smaller than the Polo and it would attract new, younger, customers; those on a budget looking for a new car instead of a second hand one.” Dierks says the car, a development of VW's Up concept car, won't however be the cheapest small car on the market if it came here. "It wouldn't be a $12,000 budget car; it has to deliver the safety and quality standards we demand in all our models. If we could sell it for $13,990 I would be more than happy." It's been tipped the Chico will be powered by a 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrol engine or three-cylinder diesel, with a potential fuel consumption of well under 4l/100km and return class-leading clean exhaust emissions for a non-hybrid model. Meanwhile, VW Australia has still to make a decision on whether to add the potent Scirocco coupe to its line-up. The coupe was last month named Top Gear's car of the year in the UK. And buyers wanting to buy the new and slightly larger Jetta will have to wait at least another year. The popular Jetta, tipped to be repowered by a smaller 1.4-litre twin charge petrol engine alongside the existing turbo diesel, was expected to arrive next year but it has now been put off until at least 2010. Next year's major launch for VW Australia has been reserved for the new Golf, VW's biggest seller in this country. The new Passat CC will also arrive next summer.  

Indian company Tata has unveiled plans to build a people's car that will cost $2800, while carmakers Renault and Nissan are seriously looking at a vehicle about $3500.