VW Up! may be too expensive for ?koda and Seat
Click above for a high-res gallery of the up!
Volkswagen's NSF (new small family) concepts, the up! series, has been on our radar since appearing at auto shows in late 2007. Last fall, VW committed to bringing these vehicles to production models, and we heard that the leading candidate for a production site was the Škoda factory in Vrchlabi, in the Czech Republic because the up! production versions are supposed to be low cost vehicles. Automotive News Europe (subs req'd) is reporting that some engineers at VW group members Škoda and SEAT are worried that the components in the up! would be too expensive for them to sell. Axles, transmissions and engines will be the same throughout the NSF range; the differences will be in body styles and price tags. The VW group is hoping to sell a half-million of these NSF vehicles a year, and low-cost versions are pretty vital to that strategy. The Volkswagen up! should be on sale in late 2010. An Audi up! makes a lot more sense now as a way to recoup costs.
Gallery: Volkswagen up! concept
[Source: Automotive News Europe (subs req'd)]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Nixon 11:50AM (3/18/2009)
Biggest problem with owning a VW up! would be being asked questions about it.
Like, "Is this up! yours?"
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Throwback 2:59PM (3/18/2009)
Funny, fortunately the name will be changed to Lupo for production.
-nm 12:47PM (3/18/2009)
I'm still waiting to see the 100 mpg 2-seat city car version. I was hoping they'd show it in Geneva but that didn't happen. Frankfurt maybe...?
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ryan 7:32PM (3/18/2009)
With a tiny (think 1 liter) displacement TDI under the hood, this thing would do great.
Look at the Smart... Bad transmission and terrible mileage compared to the size of the car.
Look at the IQ... or don't since it isn't available yet. Oh, and on the Japanese 10/15 cycle, the Vitz (Yaris) actually bests the IQ in FE. Not to mention that it seats 4-5 people and costs about $4k less.
Now let's go back to the up! Give the people a 6 speed manual or the highly acclaimed DSG, mated to the above mentioned 1 liter TDI and there you go!
On a side note, I want to see Volkswagen try to bring over some of their displacement downsizing technology used in their gassers (TFSI), over to their diesel engines. Not sure on the feasibility of that though...
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