Frankfurt 2007: Volkswagen up! mini-car debuts - now with high-res pics
Click the up! for a high-res gallery
The Volkswagen mini-car that until had been referred to as the City Expert has now been unveiled with a new name and a look distinctly different from the renderings we had seen previously. The VW up! is seen as a the true successor to the Type 1 Beetle. The styling is neither retro nor an evolution of current Volkswagens.
Like the original Volkswagen and the much newer Smart ForTwo, the up! has it's engine mounted in the back driving the rear wheels. Unlike the Smart, the VW gets four seats into its 11.3 foot length. As a somewhat more practical challenger to the Smart, it may be interesting to look back at the history of Smart. The Smart was conceived by Swatch founder Nicholas Hayek and was originally a partnership with VW. After some initial prototypes were built, VW pulled out of the project and Mercedes-Benz stepped in. Now VW has built this new car as a low cost urban transportation module with low CO2 emissions.
Gallery: Volkswagen up! concept
[Source: Volkswagen]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Geoff Gibson 1:56PM (9/12/2007)
Yet another awesome mini-car that will be never be brought to the U.S. :(
I'm so sick of seeing SUVs, large trucks, and massive cars being driven around the city. . . usually with only one person and no cargo in each of them.
Whats the point?
Reply
John Metcalf 5:30PM (9/12/2007)
My initial reaction to this was lackluster, but after looking at it for a few day, I like it more and more. The interior is simple, clean and attractive, and the removeable seats are genius in a car this size.
I'll take one in apple green please. Oh, and you can leave the Totoro graphics on the seats and dash - my daughter would love it.
Reply