Volkswagen Up

The production Up follows a series of concept cars, starting in 2007 at the Frankfurt Motor Show.[12] The exterior was originally designed by the Brazilian designer Marco Pavone.[13][14] This design was chosen and enhanced by Volkswagen Group Chief Designer Walter de'Silva, and Head Designer of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars marque, Klaus Zyciora. Shown at the Frankfurt launch were several further Up concepts, including a 98 hp (73 kW) GT version, a natural gas-powered Eco-up! (with CO₂ emissions of 79 g/km) and a four-door Cross model.[9]

Where the Up concept used a rear-engine, rear-wheel drive layout, the 2011 production model has a front-engine, front-wheel drive layout, using the NSF platform,[6] with a 3-cylinder 1.0-litre petrol engine.[15]

It was originally reported that the Up concept would be produced under the name Lupo, like the Volkswagen Lupo that was discontinued in 2005.[16][17] Eventually this plan changed and the 2011 production model was named the Up.

At the International Motor Show Germany in 2011, Volkswagen unveiled the final version of the Up based on the Volkswagen New Small Family (NSF) modular architecture.[6] The three-door bodywork is inspired by the 2007 concept Up, the engine range is 1.0-litre three-cylinder gasoline 60 hp (45 kW) and 75 hp (56 kW). Both the three and five doors are available with engines running on CNG and called eco-Up. The Up is a front-wheel drive with transverse engine mated to a five-speed manual gearbox and is 3.54 metres (139 in) long has a wheelbase of 2.42 m (95 in). The cabin is configured to four or five seats.

The Up range included the Up GTI, which was previewed by the GT Up concept. Released in January 2018, the Up GTI feature a turbocharged version of the 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine producing 115 PS (113 bhp; 85 kW).[18][19] An electric hybrid Up — which would be badged Blue-e-motion — was planned for 2014 but never released.[20][21]

Along with the other two rebadged models, Up is the first car in its class to offer an automated braking system, called City Emergency Braking. The system is automatically activated at speeds below 30 km/h (19 mph), when a laser sensor identifies a danger of collision and activates the brakes. In the SEAT model, the system is marketed as the City Safety Assist and in the Škoda model it is called City Safe Drive.[22][21]

The Up won the 2012 World Car of the Year.

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  Rear view (3-door)
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  Rear view (5-door)
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  Interior

Argentinian-spec Up

In February 2014, Volkswagen introduced a modified version of the Up for Latin America. Built in Brazil, the Latin American Up differs from its European counterpart in length (it is 65 mm (2.6 in) longer), thanks to revisions to the floorpan's rear section to accommodate a larger fuel tank (50 L instead of Europe's 35 L), a full-sized spare wheel and increased cargo space. All versions have revised tailgates with a painted metal section (like the Seat Mii's and Škoda Citigo's) instead of the dark glass trim used in Europe. The five-door Brazilian Up also uses a different rear door design with sectioned glass and wind-down windows. The South American model retains the European version's safety levels with a five-star crash rating[31] and ample use of high-strength steel elements.[32]

In July 2015, Volkswagen introduced a new powertrain for the Up sold in Brazil, using a 1.0-litre, direct fuel injection three-cylinder turbocharged engine.[33]

In July 2010 VW announced the production version of the E-up electric car, with sales scheduled to begin in 2013,[35] and was subsequently unveiled at the September 2013 International Motor Show Germany.[36]

The production version has an 18.7 kWh lithium-ion battery able to deliver 160 km (99 miles) on the NEDC cycle, can accelerate from 0-62 mph (100 km/h) in 9.2 seconds and has a top speed of 130 km/h (81 mph). The E-up can be charged with 2.3 kW plugged into any standard 230 V socket, with 3.6 kW via a home-installed wall box or with up to 40 kW plugged into a DC fast-charging station via the optional Combined Charging System (CCS), which allows the battery to charge up to 80% in under 30 minutes.[37] The production version has the same dimensions as the five-door petrol model with seating for four.[38][39]

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  2012 e-Up
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  Powertrain bay

A second iteration of the e-up was announced on 5 September 2019. It is equipped with a larger 32.3 kWh battery, a range of 260 km (160 mi) and efficiency of 12.7 kWh/100 km (4.89 mi/kWh).[40] 32.3 kWh is the usable (net) capacity, while the total (gross) capacity is 36.8 kWh.

The Škoda version was released as the Škoda Citigo-e iV, with a 36.8 kWh battery capacity and a range of 270 km (165 miles) under WLTP standard, and was mass-produced from autumn 2019. It is the first all-electric car of Škoda Auto and replaced the combustion engine version. Similarly, the petrol-powered Seat Mii was replaced with an electric version, the Mii Electric.[41][42]

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  2021 e-Up
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  Rear view
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  Škoda Citigo-e iV
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  SEAT Mii Electric

Retail deliveries began in Germany in October 2013, followed shortly after by Denmark, Sweden, France, Norway, and the Netherlands, and the UK at the end of January 2014.[48][37] The E-up! is not sold in the U.S. or Canada.[49]

As of January 2020, Volkswagen have sold 21,000 E-up! Worldwide.[50]

In 2014, the Latin-American Volkswagen Up was evaluated under the Latin NCAP assessment and achieved a 5-star security rating for adults and 4-star security rating for children:[52]

In 2011, the SEAT Mii was evaluated for its safety performance under the Euro NCAP assessment scheme and it achieved a 5-star overall rating:[53]

Euro NCAP test results
Volkswagen up! (2011)

Test	Points	%
Overall:
Adult occupant:	32	89%
Child occupant:	39	80%
Pedestrian:	17	46%
Safety assist:	6	86%

The CITIGO in its standard European configuration received 3 stars from Euro NCAP in 2019.[54]

The up! in its standard European configuration received 3 stars from Euro NCAP in 2019.[55]

The Mii in its standard European configuration received 3 stars from Euro NCAP in 2019.[56]

The two-door Up concept debuted at the 2007 IAA International Motor Show Germany in Germany,[12] with a rear-wheel drive, rear-mounted, boxer engine and 18 inch wheels.[12]

The interior is designed to accommodate four adults, and features flat-folding, air inflatable seats.[12] It also has two monitors on the dashboard, one showing vehicle statistics and the other controlling the in-car multimedia system.[12] The car measures 3.45 metres (11 ft 4 in) in length[12] and has a width of 1.63 metres (5 ft 4 in).[12]

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  2007 up! concept
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  2007 up! concept

Volkswagen Space Up concept

The four-door four-seater mini MPV styled space up! concept car debuted at the 2007 Tokyo Auto Show in Japan.[61]

The Space Up concept had all the features of the first concept, but with four-doors and 23 centimetres (9.1 in) longer at 3.68 metres (12 ft 1 in) (15 centimetres (5.9 in) shorter than the Volkswagen Fox).[61] The 'butterfly' doors open in a similar manner to those on the Mazda RX-8; the front doors conventionally hinged at the front, whilst the rears are hinged at the rear from the C-pillar, eliminating the B-pillar.[61] Its wheelbase is also larger at 2.56 metres (8 ft 5 in)[61] but retains the same width as the Up at 1.63 metres (5 ft 4 in).[61]

Also for the first time Volkswagen showed images of its internal combustion engine, a Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI) petrol engine.

The four-seater space up! blue concept, the third variant of the Volkswagen Up concept series, debuted at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show.[62]

The Space Up Blue was visually the same as the Space Up and shared its length and width, but it included a different roof with a 150 watt solar cell which recharges the batteries.[62] This means its height increases to 1.57 metres (5 ft 2 in) and the curb weight is a 1,090 kg (2,403 lb).[62]

Twelve lithium-ion batteries give the Space Up Blue 45 kW (61 PS; 60 bhp) of power and a 65 miles (105 km) range.[62] Combined with Volkswagen's world's first hydrogen high temperature fuel cells (HT-FC), range is extended by 155 miles (250 km) giving total range of 220 miles (350 km).[62]

Volkswagen E-up concept car as shown at the IAA 2009

The two-door Volkswagen e-up! zero-emissions concept debuted at the 63rd International Motor Show Germany in 2009.[63]

The 3.19 metres (10 ft 6 in) long all-electric E-up uses a 3+1 seat configuration.[63] It uses a 60 kW (82 PS; 80 bhp) (continuously rated at 40 kW (54 PS; 54 bhp)) all-integrated drive electric motor, mounted at the front and drives the front wheels.[63] This electric motor generates a torque turning force of 210 N⋅m (155 lb⋅ft) from rest.[63] Power is sourced from 18 kilowatt-hours (kWh) lithium-ion batteries, which will give a range up to 130 km (81 miles).[63] Quick charging will charge the battery up to 80% in an hour,[63] while a regular 230 volt plug will take five hours.[63][64] The roof of the E-up has a 1.4 square metre solar cell which supplies power to the vehicle's electrics, and when parked can power ventilation fans to help cool the interior when parked in bright sunlight on a hot day.[63] The solar cells can be increased in size to a total area of 1.7 square metre by folding down the sun visors.[63]

With a curb weight of 1,085 kg (2,392 lb), it can accelerate from rest to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in 11.3 seconds; and should reach a top speed of 135 km/h (83.9 mph).[63] The E-up concept is 3.19 metres (10 ft 6 in) long, 1.64 metres (5 ft 5 in) wide, 1.47 metres (4 ft 10 in) high, and has a wheelbase of 2.19 metres (7 ft 2 in).[63]

Interior equipment includes a touch-screen human machine interface (HMI), one notable feature allows the charge to be delayed within the HMI programming, utilising cheap-rate night-time electricity—and this can also be remotely programmed via an iPhone or similar device.[63]

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Volkswagen Up Lite at the 2009 LA Auto Show.

The Volkswagen up! Lite was revealed at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show. It is a four-seater hybrid concept car based on Volkswagen L1 technologies. The Volkswagen Up Lite concept car has a hybrid powertrain with one 0.8 litres (48.8 cu in) two-cylinder Turbocharged Direct Injection (TDI) diesel engine and one 10 kW (14 PS; 13 bhp) electric motor, using a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Its technical dimension is about 3.84 metres (12 ft 7 in) in length, 1.60 metres (5 ft 3 in) in width and 1.40 metres (4 ft 7 in) high. It weighs 695 kg (1,532 lb), has a top-speed of 160 km/h (99 mph), and CO₂ emission not more than 65 g/km.[65]

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The Volkswagen IN is a design study created by Brazilian interns of Volkswagen do Brasil which carries a significant resemblance to the Up concept cars. It is a two-seater-plus-luggage sub-compact, capable of adopting a variety of powertrains, including a fully electric one using in-wheels electric engines.[66][67] The mock-up in 1:1 scale was presented to the press on 29 January 2010.

The Buggy Up at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show

The Volkswagen Buggy Up! concept debuted at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show in Germany.

The Buggy Up is a dune buggy based on the Up platform. It is 3,584 mm (141.1 in) long, 1,672 mm (65.8 in) wide, and 1,288 mm (50.7 in) tall.[68] It has a door-less design, convertible canvas roof, waterproof interior, and a reinforced frame with ride height reduced by 0.8 inches (2.0 cm).[69]

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The Up Azzurra at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show

The Up! Azzurra Sailing Team concept debuted at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show in Germany.

The Azzurra was designed to look and feel like a luxury yacht, with a fully waterproof interior, blue and white leather seats, and chrome and wood trim. The rear seats have wooden backs, so when they are folded down the trunk looks like the deck of a yacht. It has no roof, and wooden railings in place of the doors and rear hatch.[70]

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