Volkswagen up! |
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Wikipedia: Volkswagen Up
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History
The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class (R172) page on 2 November 2015, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
The Volkswagen Up (stylized as Volkswagen up!) is a city car, part of the Volkswagen Group New Small Family (NSF) series of models, unveiled at the 2011 International Motor Show Germany (IAA). Production of the up! started in December 2011 at the Volkswagen Bratislava Plant in Bratislava, Slovakia.
The production up! follows a series of concept cars, starting in 2007 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. All up! concepts are designed by Volkswagen Group Chief Designer Walter de'Silva, and Head Designer of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars marque, Klaus Bischoff. Shown at the Frankfurt launch were several further up! concept cars, including a 98 hp (73 kW) GT version, a natural gas-powered Eco-up! (with CO2 emissions of 79 g/km) and a four-door Cross model.
The original up! concept car used a rear-engine, rear-wheel drive layout, however 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. A battery electric version, called e-up!, was launched in autumn 2013.
The Volkswagen up! won the 2012 World Car of the Year.
The SEAT Mii and Škoda Citigo are rebadged versions of the up!, with modifications to the front and rear designs, and are manufactured in the same factory.
In February 2014 Volkswagen introduced a modified version of the up! for Latin America. The Brazilian-built up! differs from its European counterpart in length (it is 65mm longer), thanks to revisions to the floorpan's rear section to accommodate a larger fuel tank (50L instead of Europe's 35L), a full-sized spare wheel and more 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 5-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.
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eco up! 2013 Geneva International Motor Show Photo ©2013 Norbert Aepli, Switzerland This photograph is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. View photo of Volkswagen eco up! at the 2013 Geneva International Motor Show - 3.1MB |
| Date | Article | Author/Source |
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| 12 September 2007 | Volkswagen Touts "Up!" At Frankfurt Show | Anthony Fontanelle |
| 15 March 2013 | New Volkswagen e-up! An electric car for Yorksha fowk  | Matt Hubbard, Speedmonkey |
