UP: Volkswagen’s New Icon

Volkswagen is hoping this little bubble-on-wheels will become as iconic as the Beetle.
Parked by itself in a corner of the Volkswagen stand at the 2008 Johannesburg auto show is the car VW hopes will be the next universal citymobile, as enduring as the Beetle and the Golf  a little bubble-on-wheels designed to be all things to all people.
It's the Up! concept, a rear-engined four-seater only 3.45m long and 1.63m long.
VW chief designer Walter de Silva said: "The Up! is designed to become obsolete in a short time. It's a clear statement for future Volkswagen design, and the first member of a new model line.”
The Up! has no grille because the engine is in the rear it's rear, a clear link to the Beetle. The headlights run diagonally inward and horizontal air vents underline the VW logo  one of the few chromed details on the car. The tailgate extends far forward and is made of clear material with the tail lights and an illuminated VW logo shining through it.
The Up! has a wide track (1.42m) and the 18" rims are flush with the wheel arches to make them look even bigger. The profile has a long roof, long doors and a steeply upswept waistline.
All the seats except the driver's are light shells that can be quickly stowed in one of the luggage areas  there's a boot at each end!  so the whole passenger compartment becomes a cargo bay.
The Up! has two central displays: A 200mm monitor ahead of the driver shows speed, fuel level and range and a 175mm touchscreen in the centre stack controls the aircon, navigation, telephone, audio, images, movies, etc.  on a rotating "main menu carousel".
The Up! was first shown at the Frankfurt auto in September 2007. A Space Up! four-door microvan derivative debuted six weeks later in Tokyo and the zero-emission Space Up! Blue battery van was revealed at the Los Angeles show in November 2007.Volkswagen has taken the wraps off the Up!, an all-new model that the German marque claims could lead to an entirely new range of cars. One of the most interesting aspects of the new VW Up! is the engine location - in the rear of the car. There's also a good chance that it will be driven by a range of low emission 'green' engines.
The name of the concept car: up!  a positive name that is a synonym for departure, activity, dynamics and the future. "For Volkswagen", says Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Board Member with Responsibility for Technical Development, "the response of IAA visitors will be a decisive test to determine whether the concept has the same kind of potential possessed by the Beetle at one time or by the Golf today."
The up! is a city specialist, a car for four persons and all languages, for the job, the university, the drive to the beach and the excursion outside the city gates. A small car that shows a lot of size, because it offers more space than any other car of similar length (3.45 meters) and width (1.63 meters).