VW up! minicar to launch in December with 3-cylinder gasoline engines; natural gas engine to follow

The new Volkswagen up!. Click to enlarge.

Volkswagen will launch its new up! minicar in December, first in the European market, with 3 versions for different budgets and needs: take up! is the entry-level car; move up! the comfort-oriented one; and high up! the top version. Directly at the car’s market launch, there will also be 2 independent models based on the high up!: the up! black and the up! white.

The new up! initially will offer two variants of a new generation of 3-cylinder gasoline engine, with output of 44 kW / 60 PS (59 hp) and 55 kW / 75 PS (74 hp). Combined fuel consumption as a BlueMotion Technology version (including a Stop/Start system) is 4.2 l/100 km (56 mpg US) for the 60 PS model and 4.3 l/100 km (55 mpg US) for the 75 PS model. Both of these 1.0-liter engines emit less than 100 g/km CO₂.

A natural gas engine with 50 kW / 68 PS (67 hp) with the same basic configuration will follow. Its combined fuel consumption of 3.2 kg/100 km (natural gas) is equivalent to a CO₂ value of 86 g/km; as a BlueMotion Technology version the natural-gas powered up! attains a low CO₂ value of 79 g/km. There are also definite plans for an up! with an electric drive for the year 2013.

A new safety technology system is the optional City Emergency Braking system. It is automatically active at speeds under 30 km/h (19 mph), and it uses a laser sensor to detect the risk of an imminent collision. Depending on the vehicle’s speed and the driving situation, City Emergency Braking can reduce accident severity by initiating automatic brake interventions, and possibly even avoid a crash, VW says. So far, the up! is the only vehicle in the segment to be offered with an emergency braking function for city driving.

With a 3.54 meter length and 1.64 meter width, the up! is one of the smallest four-seat cars. The Volkswagen is 1.48 meters tall. Its overall length consists of short body overhangs and a very long wheelbase (2.42 meters).

If the goal is to maximize space, the ideal form for a small car would be a rectangular box. In the up! we were able to sculpt such a box with a clean and powerful design that does not lose sight of space utilization.

—Klaus Bischoff, Head of Design for the Volkswagen Brand

Space utilization in the car is facilitated by the wheelbase, combined with an engine that is mounted well forward.

Source: Green Car Congress