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2011 Volkswagen Up! Azzura Sailing Team
 
Volkswagen has released a full army of concept vehicles based on their new Up! platform at the Frankfurt Motor Show. One of the concept vehicles, the Up! Azzura Sailing Team, is a version of the Up! that takes nautical pleasures to a new level. As an open-top concept with a lack of doors too, the Up! Azzura Sailing Team was penned by no less than Volkswagen chief, Walter de Silva, and Giorgetto Giugiaro with the idea of bringing to life and paying homage to nautical life. As such, the design elements featured in the concept carry some of those nautical characteristics, including an open-cabin with mahogany and maple wood trims, chrome components, and white-blue leather. On top of that, the car has also been dressed in a resin coating to make it waterproof, which would make sense considering the whole point of the concept. As for the powertrain, the Up! Azzura Sailing Team runs on an electric motor, although nothing appears to be set in stone since the concept is unlikely to ever make it to production. 2012 Volkswagen Up GT! Concept
It’s not rocket science to understand that the Volkswagen Up! Concept is not the poster car for fast cars, seeing as the concept only carries an output of 75 horsepower. What was surprising though was that for all of its capabilities - or lack thereof - Volkswagen has come out with a GT version of the concept that delivers an output of 100 horsepower. Not exactly raging stallions, is it? In any case, this is what the Volkswagen Up! GT Concept has to offer. Compared to the its standard version brethren, the GT version is a monster on four wheels, at least as far as relativity is concerned. It carries a turbocharged three-cylinder engine that produces 100 horsepower and 111 lb/ft of torque - a significant improvement from the 75-horsepower output of the standard version - while carrying a 0-60 mph sprint time of nine seconds. But more than all the numbers, the Up GT! Concept also carries some aesthetic improvements from the standard Up, including a more serious front bumper with LED running lamps, a roof spoiler, twin-chrome exhaust finishers, and a set of 17" wheels as the cherry on top of the proverbial sundae. 2011 Volkswagen cross up!
Next to the study buggy up!, Volkswagen has also brought the cross up! concept to the Frankfurt Motor Show. The company has promised that even if this was displayed as a concept, it is in fact a near production version and reveals how a cross Up! version will look like. The Cross up! concept is finished in a "Tornado Red" exterior paint combined with silver elements and dark anthracite on the wheel well extensions and side sill extensions. The roof rails highlight the look in "matte silver." The bumpers have received a new design and is combined with a larger honeycomb grille, larger air intakes, and a silver cross-bar in the bumper. The concept sits on a special set of 16" alloy wheels in cross design. On the interior, the seats feature a special cross trim with center panels and grey side panels, while the steering wheel, gear shift grip, and parking brake grip are wrapped in leather. 2011 Volkswagen study buggy up!
The new Volkswagen up! might have caught all the attention at Volkswagen’s stand in Frankfurt, but next to it there were six other concept cars worth taking a look at. The first of these concepts is called the Volkswagen study buggy up! and unlike the original Buggy launched in the 1960s which was based on the Beetle, the new concept is based on the recently launched Up! The new study buggy up! keeps the underbody, running gear, and drive technology of the up!, but adds a completed redesigned roof-less exterior skin, and a lowered ride height (lowered by 20 mm). The study will immediately be recognized as an Up! model, but the bonnet is built much flatter, the bumpers show an independent character, and the roof was inspired by small convertible sports cars. The study is also about 44 mm longer and 31 mm wider than the production Up!, while the height has been lowered by 190 mm. The new buggy sits on a new set of 18" alloy wheels and is finished in a "hot orange paint which was specially created for this vehicle. Another feature for the new study buggy up! is that it is 100% beach ready; everything on the interior is waterproof, including the controls for the infotainment system. 2012 Volkswagen Up!
The Volkswagen Up! makes no bones about what it is and what it isn’t. What it isn’t is a thoroughbred car that will satisfy all your speed thrills. What it is, however, is a smiling, fun-loving, economical city car that will net you plenty of mileage and provide state-of-the-art technology for compact vehicles. Built in numerous concept forms over the past couple of years, the Volkswagen Up! has finally been given the production green light, and its getting ready to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. For the production version, Volkswagen will be offering the Up! in three different trim versions with "take up!" being the entry level version, "move up!" being the comfort-oriented version, and "high up" being the top-of-the-line version with two special edition models of the "high up!" - "up! black" and "up! white" - scheduled to be introduced when the car officially makes its official launch at the end of the year. UPDATE 10/10/11: Volkswagen has finally revealed the pricing details for the Up!, which you can check out after the jump! Find out more about the Volkswagen Up! after the jump. Full story Bugatti city car in the works?
We already know that the Volkswagen Up city car is going to spawn different versions for a number of other brands in the VW family, including Seat, Skoda, and even Audi. There are rumors, however, that another VW-owned brand is going to get its own city car. Specifically, that brand people keep referring to is Bugatti. What, you ask? A Bugatti city car? Well, nothing’s been confirmed yet, but there’s growing speculation that this spy video of two camouflaged cars of VW UP prototypes could have a Bugatti offspring in the future. Take it for what it’s worth but it does make for an interesting scenario. Now that Aston Martin has dived head-on into the city car segment with Cygnet, it wouldn’t be a far-fetched idea for a high-end luxury brand to follow suit. Add that to the enormous resources Volkswagen has and we wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if see a little Bugatti running around the world’s cities in the future. 2010 Volkswagen Up! Lite concept
Volkswagen unveiled today at the Los Angeles Auto Show the 2010 Up! Lite concept, the latest addition to the Up! line-up. The new Up! Lite concept is powered by a hybrid system that includes a TDI (turbo-diesel), an electric motor and 7-speed Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG). The newly designed 0.8 TDI two-cylinder turbo-diesel engine delivers a total of 51 hp. At the push of a button the new Up! Lite activates the Eco mode that reduces the power to 36 hp.  In two of its operating phases, the hybrid drive of the Up! Lite was designed to operate without any TDI propulsion at all. First phase: In so-called coast-down, activated by the driver taking his or her foot off the gas pedal (car coasts, TDI engine is shut off). Second phase: Over shorter distances, e.g. in residential areas, the E-motor can power the Up! Lite all by itself. In this case, a lithium-ion battery supplies the energy. Since it is capable of pure electric driving, the configuration is classified as a full hybrid. Shifting work is handled by a 7-speed Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) like the one used in the new Polo. Moreover, the Volkswagen is equipped with a Stop-Start system. Press release after the jump. Full story 2010 Volkswagen E-Up! Concept
Volkswagen has just unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show the electric version of the now famous Up! Concept. The new Volkswagen E-Up! concept is believed to make it to production by 2020.  The E-Up! concept is powered by an electric motor with a peak power output of 60 kW supplied by by a lithium ion battery. Fully charged the batteries offer the E-Up! a range of 130 kilometers. The motor of the front-wheel drive car, which is mounted up front and develops a maximum torque of 155 lb-ft from rest. The driver activates forward or reverse gear via a rotary knob in the center console. The fact that the E-Up! will also quite clearly offer driving enjoyment is demonstrated by a look at the car’s classic 0 to 60 MPH sprint of 11.3 seconds. The E-Up! develops even greater responsiveness in the intermediate sprint from 0 to 50 km/h in city driving: 3.5 seconds.  According to Volkswagen the E-Up! concept is the Beetle for the 21st Century: headlights with their facet-like lenses – cut like diamond, the fog lights configured as C-shaped, chrome-trimmed elements in the headlight housings, a circular pattern in the bumper. Press release after the jump. Full story Audi’s electric car will be a VW Up
 Last April Audi said that they would not be producing an electric car in the near future. Well plans have changed according to Car Magazine. Audi has unofficially said it will sell an electric version of the VW Up as soon as it becomes available. Possible release estimate being late 2010. Hopeful Audi doesn’t scrap this idea like it has so many others in the past (think back to the Q5 and Q7 hybrid programs). Audi may make a plan B since Volkswagen has has product delays with the Up. After all, it is not even clear yet whether the Up will be rear or front-engined; since the concept had the engine in the back, but the latest news is that production versions will adopt a more conventional layout. Chances are that whether it be an Audi or a VW badge there will be an electric Up in the near future.
Volkswagen Up! delayed
Last week AutoCar launched the first rumor according to whom the next Volkswagen Up! will be a FWD model. Today Volkswagen confirmed those rumors and also announced that the production will be delayed by up to five months. Volkswagen plans to sell at least 500,000 Up variants a year in Europe, emerging markets, and possibly in the US. The car’s launch was scheduled for 2010 but will now be delayed by three to five months until early 2011 because of the engine layout change. The delay means that the Up will come to market much later than rivals planned by Toyota and Fiat. Toyota’s IQ goes on sale in Europe early next year. The Fiat Topolino launches at the end of 2009. Both will have their engines in the front. Volkswagen plans to build hatchback, minivan and sedan versions of the Up for the Volkswagen , Skoda and Seat brands in a range it code-names New Small Family.
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