As it always happens, as soon as some naughty image of a new model leak on the internet, the carmaker promptly releases some official image of the exposed vehicle as well. This is what just happened for the new 5 door version of the Volkswagen Up! whose first grainy images taken from the licensing documentation appeared just a few days ago.

The new version of the German city car measures 3.54 meters in length, 1.64 in width and 1.48 in height, with 2.42 meters of wheel base that allows for an extra 789 mm of legroom for the passengers at the back. The load capacity of the trunk varies between 251 and 951 litres, according to the configuration of the rear bench. Aesthetically, the extra set of doors required a slight modification of the rear end, with windows and C-pillar now forming a 90 degree angle with the roof. This variant then loses the distinctive rack angle of the C-pillar that differentiates the 3-door version from its twin sisters Seat Mii and Skoda Citigo.

The 5-door version of VW Up! will be officially unveiled at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show (March 8-18) and should become available on the market shortly afterwards with a 1.0-litre 3-cylinder engine in power steps of 60 and 75 hp.

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Czech website autoforum.cz has published a series of images of the Volkswagen up! 5D - the 5-door variation of its recently unveiled Up! city car - that, apparently, have been taken from the documentation provided by VW to put a license over its design. These grainy images show us a model that looks almost identical to the Cross Up! concept showcased at the last Frankfurt Motor Show. The Volkswagen Up! 5D is expected to appear in a few months equipped with a 75 hp 1.0-litre engine.

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The Seat Mii forms part of Volkswagen’s new family of citycars but it doesn’t necessarily represent the cheaper option among the new range. The Mii will go on sale in its local market of Spain from next month and will debut with a price of 8,690 euros. My skepticism on the pricing of citycars in general continues, and the Mii should be right in line with its sister model, the Volkswagen Up!.

That particular Seat Mii price of 8,690 euros refers to the three-cylinder, one-litre engine model with either 60 or 75 hp. What you do get though, is some impressive fuel mileage, with fuel consumption measuring just 4.5 and 4.7 l/100 km respectively (with a five-speed manual gearbox). A future Ecomotive version with start&stop technology takes that even lower to 4.3 litres.

All the features on the Seat Mii will be offered as standard on the Spanish market including ABS, four airbags, steering wheel adjustment, and daytime running lamps. The Mii Style kit adds climate control, central locking, electric windows and a CD MP3 radio. The Style Sport takes on some sportier features as its name suggests with 15-inch wheels, sports suspension and leather steering wheel. We get the impression it could be a fun little thing to drive. Options available on all models are ESP, cruise control, parking sensors and portable navigator. After the jump are all the Seat Mii pricing details.

Continue reading: Seat Mii pricing for Spain

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In a surprise move, Volkswagen has officially announced that a further variation of their new Up! model will soon be produced with a 4 door body type. The new Up! will be similar to the Cross Up! concept showcased at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, accentuating the crossover-inspired styling of the basic model in the wake of all the other VW “Cross” models. The whole engine range will be shared with the Up! series, including the brand new 1.0 3 cylinder petrol with outputs of 60 and 75hp. The new Up! will probably enter the market in the second half of 2012.

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The new entry-level Volkswagen Up citycar to go on display at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show gets its first video. In this Up! video we get to see more of the design which picks up where the Volkswagen Lupo left off, and which replaces the less successful Fox.

Volkswagen is getting in on the one-litre engine act, offering a three-cylinder 1.0-litre turbo petrol unit on the Up, with either 60 or 75 hp. The company claims an average fuel consumption of 4.2 l/100 km. A new gas-fuelled model will appear in 2013 with even better fuel economy of 3.2 l/100 km and CO2 emissions of just 86 g/km.

The diminutive model could be quite an important refresh for Volkswagen as it pursues its plans to be the world’s biggest car manufacturer by 2018. If there’s one thing the tiny Up will have it’s profit in volume production, although the price in Europe is set to be about €9,800. No other market release details are available at this stage.

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Let’s put aside the question of whether the world really needs a GTI version of the newly released Volkswagen Up, and get an idea of what it it might look like. The new Volkswagen citycar Up will hit the VW stand at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show and apparently the brand’s afficionados out there are already looking to the new models it might spawn.

This Up GTI rendering shows the classic Volkswagen GTI black and red trim, centrally placed exhaust pipes and a new set of wheels. We’re not particularly sold on the idea because the rear end of the Up doesn’t really pull off a sporty look for us, but live pics from Frankfurt might help us change our mind.

Source | PS-Garage via Autoblog

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The new Volkswagen Up (have we finally dropped the exclamation mark…?) is planned to be a big seller for the company as the Volkswagen Group continues its push to become the world’s biggest automaker. Replacing the Volkswagen Lupo, these pics show the new Up to be a substantial looker despite its A segment size.

The new Volkswagen citycar measures 3.54 metres long, 1.6 metres wide and 1.48 metres high, with a wheelbase of 2.4 metres to provide ultimate interior room. With a simple design and practical layout, Autocar says Volkswagen designer Klaus Bischoff claims optimal space utilisation on the model, while maintaining a compact size for city use.

The Up comes in smaller than the three-door Volkswagen Polo and should be slightly cheaper as well - whether it’s cheap enough to compete in emerging markets will be seen only when it gets a worldwide release sometime throughout 2012. The Up uses Volkswagen’s MQB front-wheel drive platform with a transverse, one-litre petrol fuelled engine providing 59 hp, or 74 hp with added boost pressure.

Continue reading: 2012 Volkswagen Up

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The Volkswagen Up! production version will appear at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, scheduled for next September, with the first version to be a three-door, four-seater model with a range of petrol and diesel engines. The Up family will expand in the future to include a five-door version and a fully electric, battery-powered model in 2013 - the same year the electric Golf and Jetta are expected to appear.

The engine range could be extended to the Volkswagen Polo model as well but we’re left a little perplexed on the price. The Volkswagen Up could have a starting price of about 10,000 euros which makes sense if it’s to be the sub-Polo compact in the VW range, replacing the Volkswagen Fox, currently the smallest VW on offer.

But for that price in Europe you can also stretch to a new Opel Corsa or Fiat Punto and so we’re wondering just how small, or big, the Volkswagen Up! will be. In addition, if a low-cost citycar option like the Dacia Citadine appears on the market, the Volkswagen Up might have to be more small hatch than large-ish minicar to work. Not because Dacia will produce the quality that you get with a VW, but because if you’re looking for a real city size run-around, you might not want to spend 10,000 euros.

Still, as we say, it could be a great little car for Volkswagen and replacing the Fox with something new, that still sits about 6,000 euros below the Polo, could be a needed offering in this segment for VW. There’s no word on whether it will be called the Volkswagen Lupo or not, but we wouldn’t mind something different from its current name. Just imagine a conversation between friends: “hey, I just bought a new Up!” where the exclamation mark doesn’t quite come across….

Source | AutomotiveNews

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The Skoda Joyster concept looks like it will get a production version, although we have to step back in time for this one - it was originally presented back in 2006 at the Paris Moto Show. The three-door sports model production rumour has been revealed by German magazine Autobild, who says that the VW Group has given the green light.

The Skoda Joyster will take on a slightly different role in its production version, and will probably be developed off the Volkswagen Up! model. The Up! itself will become the new Volkswagen Lupo citycar model, and the Joyster will represent the Czech brand in this segment.

The new compact car should be developed ready for sometime 2012 and will be a low-cost option to the Lupo. The VW Lupo will probably have a starting price of about 10,000 euros, while the Joyster should have an entry level price tag around the 9,000 mark (we would even hazard about 8,000 because 1,000 euros difference doesn’t seem enough to warrant a different model). We don’t know if Skoda, like Volkswagen, will develop its own electric version, too.

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The Volkswagen Lupo is the new citycar to be developed on the basis of the Volkswagen Up! concept first presented at the Frankfurt motor show back in 2007. The new Lupo could appear on the market in summer 2011 in a three-door version which will be about 345 cm long. It would cost about 8,500 euros.

The Lupo will have the new 1.0-litre, three-cylinder engine with 60 hp, and the new 1.0 TSI, four-cylinders with 85 hp. They both should have very low emissions and fuel consumption and will make a nice citycar option to round off the Volkswagen line-up. The company plans to sell about 600,000 units a year.

The Lupo range will then expand from 2012 with a longer wheelbase, five-door version planned. It would represent the series model of the Volkswagen Space Up! concept and will likely be called Lupo Plus. In 2013 an electric E-Lupo version will emerge, which in turn is the series model of the E-Up! presented at last year’s Frankfurt show.

Source | AutoEvolution

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The Audi A2 will be back in 2012 as the MPV variant on the new Audi A1. The A2 will share the same platform as the A1, although some technical aspects may still come from the New Small Family platform of the Volkswagen Up!, which is spawning the Volkswagen Lupo, and the same segment cars from Seat and Skoda. The next generation Audi A2 will have the same style and design elements as the A1, including the sloping roof line and similar front and rear.

The A2 will have an extensive engine range, which will include an e-tron electric model, while 2013 could see the arrival of the Audi A2 hybrid. The A2 will mostly have four-cylinder engine units, although if the Volkswagen Up! platform is adopted, three-cylinder may be utilised. Compared to the previous A2, the biggest difference with the new model is its steel and not aluminium chassis, which would result in an increase in price.

Source | Caradisiac

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These live pics of the Volkswagen Up! Lite concept show the unusual concept which debuted at the Los Angeles auto show. The concept is almost like a cross between a people mover and a shooting brake, and shows the futuristic style often used for alternative fuel and hybrid models.

The Up! Lite concept has a combined diesel-electric drivetrain, with DSG dual clutch, seven-speed transmission. It will appear as early as 2011 on the new small family car, which is the original Up! we saw back in 2007 at the Frankfurt motor show. The diesel engine is an 800 TDI with 51 hp and 120Nm, while the electric motor has 14 hp and uses lithium ion technology.

Fuel consumption and emissions are almost laughable, if it weren’t for the fact we’d be ridiculing what’s fast becoming a reality in motoring. On an average combined run, the Up! Lite uses just 2.4 litres of diesel per 100 km, and CO2 emissions are at 65 g/km. The “Lite” part of the name refers to the carbon fibre roof, the whole of which weighs just 3.3 kg, with the concept car weighing in at 695 kg. The carbon-fibre roof is unlikely to see production, although the rest of the car makes good use of aluminium.

Perfromance figures are a top speed of 160 km/hr, and an acceleration to 100 km/hr of 12.5 seconds. Nothing to be ashamed of, particularly for a small car measuring 3.8 metres long. The Volkswagen Up! Lite concept will be one to keep an eye on to see how it evolves.

Volkswagen Up! Lite Concept live pics from LA

Continue reading: Volkswagen Up! Lite concept live pics LA

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