Volkswagen has revealed its new entry-level model, the Up! hatchback, four years after it was first shown as a concept car at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show. The India bound car has very minimal exterior changes as compared to its concept.
The Up will replace the aging Fox small car a will be price below the Polo to compete against the Citroen C1, Fiat Panda and Renault Twingo among other compact offerings in Europe. While in India the car will give compete with Hyundai i10, Maruti Suzuki A-Star and Ford Figo (atleast in terms of pricing)
The Up! will make its public premiere at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show on September 13th and will go on sale across Europe in three-door form in December 2011. A more practical five-door version is set to follow during the second half of 2012 — at which time Volkswagen Group subsidiaries, Seat and Skoda, will also introduce their own distinctly styled versions of the Up! carrying modified front and rear styling.
The production version employs a more conventional transverse front-engine/front-wheel-drive layout more in keeping with the rest of the Volkswagen lineup.
Underpinning the new car is Volkswagen’s new MQB platform, a modular structure that has been conceived to be used beneath a wide range of models, including replacements for the Polo, Golf and European market Passat within the next five years.
In Europe, the Up! will be sold exclusively with a turbocharged 1.0-liter three-cylinder TSI petrol engine, mated to a standard five-speed manual and a new six-speed clutchless unit.The Up comes in two states of tune 59 hp and a sportier 74 hp.
Conceived to be sold in many of Volkswagen existing markets, the Up! will initially be produced at an existing Volkswagen factory in Slovakia . The car will also be produced in Brazil, China, India and Russia.
