Volkswagen Up!

Up!

A versatile family car

The Up! was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show, continuing the Volkswagen design principles of simplicity to maximise space and reduce unnecessary gimmicks.

New Small Family

The Up! Family consists of three concept vehicles, the two door Up!, the Space Up! And the Space Up! Blue Van.

These cars embody the emergence of a new era. The Up! Concept offers a neat and fun car for the small family. They impressively demonstrate how every millimetre of space can be exploited using intelligent packaging while at the same time creating an emotional design

Up!

What sets the Up! apart is its spatial dimensions, offering more space than any other car of a similar length (3.45 metres) and width (1.63 metres).The up! features space for four adults as well as two cargo areas – one in the nose and one just above the rear-mounted engine.

Space Up!

In the space up! the wheelbase extends to 2,560 mm to improve interior space while each of the 165/50 R18 wheels is pushed as far into each corner of the vehicle as possible. The overall length of the space up! grows by 230 mm and the height by 40 mm when compared with the up! concept. Despite the gains in size the space up! is still 150 mm shorter in length than the current smallest Volkswagen model, the Fox.

Its spacious interior features four individual seats, three of which can either be folded or removed completely to allow for up to 1,005 litres of luggage space. Access to the boot area in confined spaces is made easier through the adoption of a pair of side hinging rear doors intersected by a Volkswagen roundel. As with the up! concept the space up! features a translucent panel at the rear into which are set the car's high-intensity LED brake lights.

Space Up! Blue

The Space up! Blue concept takes its visual inspiration and drivetrain layout from the classic 1950s Samba Bus, the concept vehicle is powered by a pioneering high-temperature fuel cell linked to a series of 12 lithium-ion batteries. The innovative power sources are linked to a rear-mounted electric motor developing 61 PS and 88 lbs ft of torque. The only by-product of this highly efficient drivetrain is pure water.

In design, the Space Up! Blue continues the mix of clean surfaces and sharp, cohesive lines that define the look of the up! Family. As well as featuring a recessed solar panel the roof of the space up! blue features a set of glass skylights reminiscent of the classic Samba Bus.

Volkswagen are developing a production version of the Up! and its family of cars, Aiming to have a road-going version on the market by the end of the decade.

E-UP!

Powered by an electric motor capable of delivering a peak of 81 PS (54 PS constant) and 154 lbs ft of torque channelling drive through the front wheels, the E-Up! can accelerate to 62 mph in 11.3 seconds before reaching a top speed of 84 mph. The E-Up! weighs just 1,085 kg – a remarkable figure given that the lithium-ion batteries powering the vehicle account for 240 kg of this total. The batteries have a capacity of 18 kWh which allows a theoretical range of over 80 miles. Through the use of proposed public charging stations 80 per cent of the vehicle’s battery capacity can be made available within an hour. Using a 230-volt domestic system would require a charging time of around five hours. This process is aided by a series of solar panels measuring 1.4 square metres mounted on the roof.

Housed under the floor of the E-Up!, the batteries are protected by a specially designed crash structure and are kept cool by a series of heat exchangers. The entire system, including the electric motor, transmission and differential are all extremely compact to free up as much space inside the car as possible.Drawing inspiration from the new design direction established by Walter de Silva (Head of Design, Volkswagen Group) on the Golf as well as the up! concept from the 2007 Frankfurt Show, the new E-Up! evolves the look with a distinctive ‘face’ and clean, minimalist lines complemented by intricate detailing around the front and rear lights. The E-Up! measures just 3,199 mm in length and sits on a 2,190 mm wheelbase with minimal front and rear overhangs.

Despite the diminutive dimensions the E-Up! is spacious inside and is capable of carrying three adults plus a child. The 3+1 seating arrangement means two adults can sit on the passenger side of the vehicle with the passenger seat mounted 50 mm further forward than the driver’s seat to allow this to be possible. On the driver’s side a small space is available for occasional use by adults or children. The total loadspace is 85-litres, rising to 320-litres when the seats are folded.

The innovative approach to the drivetrain and packaging is continued in the design of the interior. To reduce demand on the vehicle’s batteries simple mechanisms such as the mirror adjustment and windows are manually operated. These simplistic methods extend to the touchscreen HMI (Human Machine Interface) system which relays critical information to the driver including the amount of charge remaining and offers advice on nearby recharging stations