Volkswagen Up

The Volkswagen Up (stylized as Volkswagen up!) is a city car produced by the Volkswagen Group from 2011 to 2023. It was unveiled at the 2011 International Motor Show Germany (IAA). Production of the Up started with the model year of 2012, in December 2011 at the Volkswagen Plant in Bratislava, Slovakia. It is part of the New Small Family (NSF) series of models, alongside the SEAT Mii and Škoda Citigo which are rebadged versions of the Up, with slightly different front and rear fascias. The SEAT and Škoda versions were manufactured in the same factory, before being withdrawn from sale in 2021 and 2020 respectively. Production of the Up ended in October 2023. A battery electric version, called E-up, was launched in autumn 2013.

Pre-production
The production Up follows a series of concept cars, starting in 2007 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The exterior was originally designed by the Brazilian designer Marco Pavone. This design was chosen and enhanced by Volkswagen Group Chief Designer Walter de'Silva, and Head Designer of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars marque, Klaus Zyciora. Shown at the Frankfurt launch were several further Up concepts, including a 98 hp GT version, a natural gas-powered Eco-up! (with emissions of 79 g/km) and a four-door Cross model.

Where the Up concept used a rear-engine, rear-wheel drive layout, the 2011 production model has a front-engine, front-wheel drive layout, using the NSF platform, with a 3-cylinder 1.0-litre petrol engine.

It was originally reported that the Up concept would be produced under the name Lupo, like the Volkswagen Lupo that was discontinued in 2005. Eventually this plan changed and the 2011 production model was named the Up.

Production version
At the International Motor Show Germany in 2011, Volkswagen unveiled the final version of the Up based on the Volkswagen New Small Family (NSF) modular architecture. The three-door bodywork is inspired by the 2007 concept Up, the engine range is 1.0-litre three-cylinder gasoline 60 hp and 75 hp. Both the three and five doors are available with engines running on CNG and called eco-Up. The Up is a front-wheel drive with transverse engine mated to a five-speed manual gearbox and is 3.54 m long has a wheelbase of 2.42 m. The cabin is configured to four or five seats.

The Up range included the Up GTI, which was previewed by the GT Up concept. Released in January 2018, the Up GTI feature a turbocharged version of the 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine producing 115 PS. An electric hybrid Up — which would be badged Blue-e-motion — was planned for 2014 but never released.

Along with the other two rebadged models, Up is the first car in its class to offer an automated braking system, called City Emergency Braking. The system is automatically activated at speeds below 30 km/h, when a laser sensor identifies a danger of collision and activates the brakes. In the SEAT model, the system is marketed as the City Safety Assist and in the Škoda model it is called City Safe Drive.

The Up won the 2012 World Car of the Year.

Marketing
The Up! is available to order in the United Kingdom since October 2011 for five models – marketed as Take Up, Move Up, High Up, Up Black and Up White. British television show Top Gear presenters mocked the unusual name by calling the model "Up-exclamation-mark".

The Up was introduced on the German market on 3 December 2011. Deliveries to other European markets began in April 2012.

In 2013, Volkswagen introduced the cross up! model, which has 15 mm more ground clearance than the standard model, and comes with plastic side skirts and wheel-arch flares as standard.

In 2014, at the Geneva Motor Show, Seat presented the 2014 Seat Mii by Mango model aimed towards women, made in collaboration with the Spanish fashion company Mango.

The SEAT Mii limited production started in October 2011 for the European market, with sales having started at the end of 2011. The final version was launched in May 2012.

The Up was sold in Australia until 2015, when it was withdrawn due to slow sales. Plans for the Škoda Citigo to be sold in Australia were also shelved.

At the Geneva Motor Show in 2016, the model sold in Europe received a facelift and the new TSI engine, that went on sale in the summer the same year.

The Up was not sold in North America, CIS countries, Middle East, India, China, South Korea, and Southeast Asia. Japanese sales began in October 2012. Due to its small size, the Up was one of Volkswagen's successful introduction in Japan. The Up was also launched in South Africa in March 2015. Two models were offered at launch, both are the 1.0-litre 55 kW three-door variant. The two local options were marketed as Take Up, and the Move Up.

Latin America
In February 2014, Volkswagen introduced a modified version of the Up for Latin America. Built in Brazil, the Latin American Up differs from its European counterpart in length (it is 65 mm longer), thanks to revisions to the floorpan's rear section to accommodate a larger fuel tank (50 L instead of Europe's 35 L), a full-sized spare wheel and increased cargo space. All versions have revised tailgates with a painted metal section (like the Seat Mii's and Škoda Citigo's) instead of the dark glass trim used in Europe. The five-door Brazilian Up also uses a different rear door design with sectioned glass and wind-down windows. The South American model retains the European version's safety levels with a five-star crash rating and ample use of high-strength steel elements.

In July 2015, Volkswagen introduced a new powertrain for the Up sold in Brazil, using a 1.0-litre, direct fuel injection three-cylinder turbocharged engine.

Up GTI
In mid-December 2016, Volkswagen presented the Up GTI. It is powered by a 1.0-litre three-cylinder TSI petrol engine, which produces 115 PS. Its top speed is 119 mph and it is capable of accelerating 0-62 mph in 8.8 seconds with a top speed of 122 mph. Weighing just 997 kg, Volkswagen claims that it is capable of delivering between 49.6 mpgimp to 50.4 mpgimp depending on the specifications, with emissions between 127 and 129 g/km. It is the only Up to be available with a six-speed manual gearbox. The Up GTI went on sale in January 2018.

In April 2019, ordering for the Up GTI was halted in the United Kingdom, but in January 2020 VW UK started taking orders again for a lightly refreshed version. The refresh included small optional equipment changes, but no alterations to the powertrain, chassis or brakes. As of January 2023, new orders for the Up GTI were closed to allow time to complete orders before the GTI model ceased production.

First iteration
In July 2010 VW announced the production version of the E-up electric car, with sales scheduled to begin in 2013, and was subsequently unveiled at the September 2013 International Motor Show Germany.

The production version has an 18.7 kWh lithium-ion battery able to deliver 160 km on the NEDC cycle, can accelerate from 0-62 mph (100 km/h) in 12.4 seconds and has a top speed of 130 km/h. The E-up can be charged with 2.3 kW plugged into any standard 230 V socket, with 3.6 kW via a home-installed wall box or with up to 40 kW plugged into a DC fast-charging station via the optional Combined Charging System (CCS), which allows the battery to charge up to 80% in under 30 minutes. The production version has the same dimensions as the five-door petrol model with seating for four.

Second iteration
A second iteration of the e-up was announced on 5 September 2019. It is equipped with a larger 32.3 kWh battery, a range of 260 km and efficiency of 12.7 kWh/100 km (4.89 mi/kWh). 32.3 kWh is the usable (net) capacity, while the total (gross) capacity is 36.8 kWh.

The Škoda version was released as the Škoda Citigo-e iV, with a 36.8 kWh battery capacity and a range of 270 km (165 miles) under WLTP standard, and was mass-produced from autumn 2019. It is the first all-electric car of Škoda Auto and replaced the combustion engine version. Similarly, the petrol-powered Seat Mii was replaced with an electric version, the Mii Electric.

Sales and market
Retail deliveries began in Germany in October 2013, followed shortly after by Denmark, Sweden, France, Norway, and the Netherlands, and the UK at the end of January 2014. The E-up! is not sold in the U.S. or Canada.

As of January 2020, Volkswagen have sold 21,000 E-up! Worldwide.

Powertrain
Both engines are also available with BlueMotion technologies (SEAT: Ecomotive, Škoda: Green Tech), which incorporates a start-stop system and regenerative brakes to reduce carbon emissions. Depending on markets, some 60PS and 75PS models are available with optional five-speed automatic transmission.

Latin NCAP
In 2014, the Latin-American Volkswagen Up was evaluated under the Latin NCAP assessment and achieved a 5-star security rating for adults and 4-star security rating for children:

2011
In 2011, the SEAT Mii was evaluated for its safety performance under the Euro NCAP assessment scheme and it achieved a 5-star overall rating:

2019
The CITIGO in its standard European market configuration received 3 stars from Euro NCAP in 2019.

The up! in its standard European market configuration received 3 stars from Euro NCAP in 2019.

The Mii in its standard European market configuration received 3 stars from Euro NCAP in 2019.

Environmental performance
In February 2019 Green NCAP assessed Volkswagen Up GTI with 1.0-litre TSI engine and 6-speed manual gearbox:

Škoda Citigo
The Škoda Citigo is a rebadged version of the Up, with slightly different front and rear fascias. The Citigo was launched in the Czech Republic in October 2011. It began sales in other European countries from summer 2012. It was manufactured at the Volkswagen Plant in Bratislava, Slovakia. Plans for sales in Russia and most other CIS countries were cancelled due to its dimensions being deemed too small for the market. The Škoda Citigo was also sold in Israel and New Zealand for a short time. The Citigo was slightly updated with a facelift model in 2017. A fully electric version, the Škoda Citigo-e iV, with a 36.8kWh battery capacity and a range of 270 km (165 miles) under WLTP standard, was mass-produced from autumn 2019 and replaced the combustion engine version. It was the first all-electric car of Škoda Auto. In autumn 2020, Škoda terminated the sale of Citigo electric cars.

SEAT Mii
The SEAT Mii, like the Citigo, is a rebadged version of the Up, with noticeable differences to the front and rear fascias. The Mii was launched in the Spanish home market simultaneously with the Up and Citigo in October 2011. It began sales in other European countries from the second quarter of 2012. It was manufactured at the Volkswagen Plant in Bratislava, Slovakia. Primarily sold in Europe, it received no noticeable facelifts, unlike the Citigo. A fully electric version, the SEAT Mii electric, with a 36.8kWh lithium-ion battery and a range of 205 km, was mass produced from 2019 to 2020. In 2020, SEAT decided to discontinue the electric models, following the 2021 discontinuation of the entire Mii lineup.

Concept models
From 2007 through to 2010 Volkswagen showed a number of concept versions of the Up prior to the launch of the production-ready version in 2011.

2007 Up concept
The two-door Up concept debuted at the 2007 IAA International Motor Show Germany in Germany, with a rear-wheel drive, rear-mounted, boxer engine and 18 inch wheels.

The interior is designed to accommodate four adults, and features flat-folding, air inflatable seats. It also has two monitors on the dashboard, one showing vehicle statistics and the other controlling the in-car multimedia system. The car measures 3.45 m in length and has a width of 1.63 m.

2007 Space Up concept
The four-door four-seater mini MPV styled space up! concept car debuted at the 2007 Tokyo Auto Show in Japan.

The Space Up concept had all the features of the first concept, but with four-doors and 23 cm longer at 3.68 m (15 cm shorter than the Volkswagen Fox). The 'butterfly' doors open in a similar manner to those on the Mazda RX-8; the front doors conventionally hinged at the front, whilst the rears are hinged at the rear from the C-pillar, eliminating the B-pillar. Its wheelbase is also larger at 2.56 m but retains the same width as the Up at 1.63 m.

Also for the first time Volkswagen showed images of its internal combustion engine, a Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI) petrol engine.

2007 Space Up Blue Concept
The four-seater ''space up! blue'' concept, the third variant of the Volkswagen Up concept series, debuted at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show.

The Space Up Blue was visually the same as the Space Up and shared its length and width, but it included a different roof with a 150 watt solar cell which recharges the batteries. This means its height increases to 1.57 m and the curb weight is a 1090 kg.

Twelve lithium-ion batteries give the Space Up Blue 45 kW of power and a 65 mi range. Combined with Volkswagen's world's first hydrogen high temperature fuel cells (HT-FC), range is extended by 155 mi giving total range of 220 mi.

2009 E-up concept car
The two-door Volkswagen e-up! zero-emissions concept debuted at the 63rd International Motor Show Germany in 2009.

The 3.19 m long all-electric E-up uses a 3+1 seat configuration. It uses a 60 kW (continuously rated at 40 kW) all-integrated drive electric motor, mounted at the front and drives the front wheels. This electric motor generates a torque turning force of 210 Nm from rest. Power is sourced from 18 kilowatt-hours (kWh) lithium-ion batteries, which will give a range up to 130 km. Quick charging will charge the battery up to 80% in an hour, while a regular 230 volt plug will take five hours. The roof of the E-up has a 1.4 square metre solar cell which supplies power to the vehicle's electrics, and when parked can power ventilation fans to help cool the interior when parked in bright sunlight on a hot day. The solar cells can be increased in size to a total area of 1.7 square metre by folding down the sun visors.

With a curb weight of 1085 kg, it can accelerate from rest to 100 km/h in 11.3 seconds; and should reach a top speed of 135 km/h. The E-up concept is 3.19 m long, 1.64 m wide, 1.47 m high, and has a wheelbase of 2.19 m.

Interior equipment includes a touch-screen human machine interface (HMI), one notable feature allows the charge to be delayed within the HMI programming, utilising cheap-rate night-time electricity—and this can also be remotely programmed via an iPhone or similar device.

2009 Up Lite concept
The Volkswagen ''up! Lite'' was revealed at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show. It is a four-seater hybrid concept car based on Volkswagen L1 technologies. The Volkswagen Up Lite concept car has a hybrid powertrain with one 0.8 L two-cylinder Turbocharged Direct Injection (TDI) diesel engine and one 10 kW electric motor, using a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Its technical dimension is about 3.84 m in length, 1.60 m in width and 1.40 m high. It weighs 695 kg, has a top-speed of 160 km/h, and CO2 emission not more than 65 g/km.

2010 Volkswagen IN
The Volkswagen IN is a design study created by Brazilian interns of Volkswagen do Brasil which carries a significant resemblance to the Up concept cars. It is a two-seater-plus-luggage sub-compact, capable of adopting a variety of powertrains, including a fully electric one using in-wheels electric engines. The mock-up in 1:1 scale was presented to the press on 29 January 2010.

2011 Buggy Up
The Volkswagen Buggy Up! concept debuted at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show in Germany.

The Buggy Up is a dune buggy based on the Up platform. It is 3584 mm long, 1672 mm wide, and 1288 mm tall. It has a door-less design, convertible canvas roof, waterproof interior, and a reinforced frame with ride height reduced by 0.8 in.

2011 Up Azzurra Sailing Team
The ''Up! Azzurra Sailing Team'' concept debuted at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show in Germany.

The Azzurra was designed to look and feel like a luxury yacht, with a fully waterproof interior, blue and white leather seats, and chrome and wood trim. The rear seats have wooden backs, so when they are folded down the trunk looks like the deck of a yacht. It has no roof, and wooden railings in place of the doors and rear hatch.

Awards

 * Scottish Car of the Year 'Compact Car of the Year' 2012
 * Top Gear Magazine 'Small Car of the Year' 2011
 * What Car? 'Car of the Year' 2012
 * What Car? 'City Car of the Year' 2013
 * World Car of the Year 2012