The New Small Family, based on the new Volkswagen up! is the name given from the German car maker to a group of six concepts models that anticipates future developments of its new two-door car.
At the recent frankfurt motor show 2011, the car maker from Wolfsburg inaugurated the introduction of its Volkswagen up! a car that along with the ‘new small family (NSF) discover a contemporary interest among car manufacturers to focus specifically designed variant models of a single vehicle on diverse market segments.
The four-seater ‘up!’
measures 3.5 meters long and 1.6 meters wide and retains a lot of of the design
of the earlier concepts. The engine is available with 59 or 74-horsepower and includes bluemotion energy-saving technology with start-stop for a reported 100 g/km of CO2 emissions. The standard Volkswagen up! two-door is expected to be on sale in December 2011, with a three-door variant released in spring 2012.
With three and five -door models planned for production and an electric version (e-up!), but only in 2013, the New Small Family series of variant concepts on the mini coupe will incorporate alongside the e-up!’: the luxury open-top “up! azzurra sailing team”, the open-top “buggy up!”, the “cross up!”, the high-performance sport coupe “GT up!” and the natural gas eco up!.
Volkswagen Up! azzurra sailing team.
[Not a valid template]Created by Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro and Walter De Silva, up! Azzurra Sailing Team has the name from a yacht club in the Costa Smeralda (Sardinia, Italy) it’s a compact, open and environmentally friendly concept, designed for the seaside town dear to both designers. The car features interior with water-resistant quality materials, which recall the style of a luxury boat.
Buggy up!
[Not a valid template]The famous Buggy, designed for the beach, was using the mechanics of the original Beetle, covered with plastic body and wheels to run in the sand. The modern Buggy up! reflects the spirit, but employing a lightweight steel body, the two-seater lacks show the C-pillars of the standard model, and is slightly longer and wider but significantly shorter in height. Designed for the beach as its ancestor, the interior of the Volkswagen Buggy up! is waterproof.
Cross up!
[Not a valid template]Designed for the urban jungle, the Cross up! prefigures the appearance of the 5-door Cross line, revealing its robustness and functionality, as all VW Cross versions already on sale.
GT up!
[Not a valid template]The GT up! features engines of up to 100 hp, with a rear spoiler and a reworked front bumper that involves a cooling air intake within a honeycomb grille. A wing-shaped LED daytime running lights it’s also integrated, while a double flow exhaust shows two chrome tailpipes.
e-up!
[Not a valid template]This variant will be a delight of drivers that look for the best savings.It has a distinctive identifying characteristic at its front end: the arc-shaped layout of the LED daytime running lights in the bumper. Supplying the propulsive power for the concept car, which can reach a top speed of 135 km/h (84 mph), is an electric motor with a peak power of 60 kW (continuous power: 40 kW) with maximum torque of 210 N·m. The driver activates the forward or reversing gear by pushbutton on the center console. The car’s battery capacity of 18 kWh enables distances of up to 130 km (81 miles), depending on driving style. The batteries themselves are located in the underbody of the Volkswagen e-up!. Expected to be already on sale in 2012.
Eco up!
In 2013, as already decided, the Eco up! will come on the market. This is the green version of the mini coupe of Wolfsubrg. The design has been modeled with an exterior similar to the standard up! but combining a natural gas engine with bluemotion energy-saving technology to cut carbon emissions at 79g/km.