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September 16, 2011

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Volkswagen opens window to the future at the IAA

World premieres of no less than six New Small Family concepts

Frankfurt - The world premiere of the up! at the 64th International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt is not just the debut of one model. Rather, the world premiere of the two-door up! signifies the beginning of an entire series of cars: the New Small Family. At the IAA, Volkswagen is demonstrating how this family could develop in upcoming years – with no less than 6 exciting concept cars.

Zero-emissions city specialist with E-drive: the e-up!. Clean driving with natural gas: the eco up!. Specialised for the world’s beaches: the buggy up! and up! azzurra sailing team. Conceptualised for urban driving: the cross up!. Tuned for the German autobahn: the GT up!.

Volkswagen is presenting a wide range of other new products as well. Lifestyle models appearing in the spotlight are cars like the Beetle R Concept and the completely upgraded Beetle Fender. Offering a look at the world of tomorrow is the NILS electric vehicle. At the Volkswagen IAA area in Hall 3.0, you will see how cars of all classes are merging into a fascinating range of contemporary and future mobility.

 

NILS

The NILS electric vehicle reflects a new form of minimal mobility. "The single-seater was developed for commuters, because – in Germany, for example – 90 percent of car commuters are alone in their car," says Prof. Dr. Jürgen Leohold, Director of Volkswagen Group Research. This study with its progressive aluminium space-frame body, wing doors and free-standing wheels shows a high level of dynamic performance, yet it glides into the future with zero emissions.

e-up!. "It has been decided: a production version of the e-up! will launch on the market in 2013," says Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Board of Management for the Volkswagen Brand with responsibility for Development. A near-production study of this zero-emissions car debuts at the 2011 IAA. A signature trait at its front end: the arc-shaped layout of its LED daytime running lights in the bumper. Just as eye-catching: the upper engine air intake – a slot between the headlights and the VW logo – which is fully covered by a chrome strip on the e-up!. Because a minimal volume of cooling air suffices for the entire drive system.

 

eco up!

At the 2011 IAA, Volkswagen is presenting an up! that sets a new benchmark in CO2 emissions of just 79 g/km thanks to its natural gas drive (EcoFuel) and BlueMotion Technology (Stop/Start system and battery regeneration): the eco up!. No one envisioned a small car with a CNG natural gas drive of this type, even though this fuel offers tremendous advantages: natural gas engines are clean and enjoy tax benefits in places like Germany. When used in the smallest vehicle class, natural gas drives, besides posting record low emissions, are significantly more economical than hybrid systems, which are too expensive for the small car segment.

buggy up!

A buggy is more than a car, it is an automotive lifestyle feeling. Born in California in the 1960s. Based on the Beetle, which provided the engine and chassis. The rest was invented by buggy pioneers like American Bruce Meyers. Out of GRP, or glass-reinforced plastic. Buggies have had a cult following right up to today. That is reason enough for Volkswagen to now show a 21st century buggy concept based on the new up!. Not of GRP, but instead of strong, high-tech, lightweight construction steels. Yet, in developing the two-seater concept, the study still follows the original approach of the historic models from California.

up! azzurra sailing team

The up! azzurra sailing team was designed by Italian designers Giorgetto Giugiaro and Walter de Silva. Giugiaro and de Silva both grew up in nautical environments. And it was in this environment that the up! azzurra sailing team was created – a prototype of an open, small, eco-friendly automobile for the world’s marinas. Giorgetto Giugiaro, born in Garessio – a town where the sea breezes blow strong from the nearby Ligurian coast – and Walter de Silva – born in Lecco on Lake Como – have extended the potential range of the New Small Family to include a nautical version. The prototype’s name comes from a yacht club on the Costa Smeralda.

cross up!. The cross up! is still a concept car, but it shows 3 aspects very clearly. 1. How the four-door up! will look. 2. What the four-door up! might look like in a cross up! version. 3. That Volkswagen will be extending its successful cross programme over increasing numbers of models. The new cross up! too shows rugged exterior qualities. They include wheel well and side sill extensions and designed in dark anthracite and black side protection strips above the sills; worked into these strips is the "cross up!" signature. Also redesigned are the rugged bumpers with underbody protection, front and rear.

GT up!. The new up! will be offered with engine powers ranging up to 55 kW / 75 PS. That makes sense, because the up! is primarily driven in the urban world. However, the car design could handle much more power. Showing how a more powerful up! might look is the highly dynamic GT up!. 100 PS in power would be conceivable here. Fitted with such an engine, the barely 900 kg GT up! would signify affordable driving fun more than practically any other vehicle. GT stands for Gran Turismo. When an I is added for injection, its identifier refers to the Volkswagen icon. And performing on the same playing field is the GT up!.

Photos: Automotive Intelligence/VW

(Sept 14, 2011)

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