Audi officials have been indicating for some time that the German brand will introduce a battery electric in the coming years. Last week at the Paris Motor Show, management board member Peter Schwarzenbauer reportedly confirmed that again to Britain's AutoCar magazine. However, contrary to some previous reports that the car would be based on the new A1 mini that appeared in concept form in Paris, Schwarzenbauer said the EV would be based on the upcoming NSF (new small family) which is the basis of the series of Volkswagen up! concepts that appeared in 2007. Volkswagen will brand the production version of the up! as the Lupo and the platform will also spawn models under other VW group brands such as Seat and Skoda. Thanks to zamafir for the tip!

[Source: AutoCar]

It was only last April that Audi was saying that it had no plans for an electric car (EV) in the immediate future. It's possible they're operating under a different definition of "immediate future" than us or maybe they have just changed their minds because, according to Car Magazine Online, Audi has unofficially said it will offer an electric version of the Volkswagen up! when they become available, possibly before 2011. In terms of vehicle development lead times that sure sounds like "immediate future" to us! Of course, it is conceivable they may be as just as flaky with their EV plans as they have been with their Q5 and Q7 hybrid programs. If there are more up! production delays, Audi may may a plan B. According to another bite-sized article in Car Magazine Online, Audi is also considering reviving its A2 (R.I.P. 2005) with an aluminum space frame (ASF) and stuffing it full of batteries. With all Audi's indecision though, a more sure bet may be Volkswagen making an electric Volkswagen.

[Source: Car Magazine Online]

We've heard rumors that Volkswagen would be going against the concept up!'s rear-engine and rear-wheel drive architecture, and it now appears that those earlier rumblings are indeed true. That's a big knock against the retro-theme that attracted many to the concept in the first place. After all, countless numbers of individuals were first introduced to the VW brand via the iconic Beetle, which, of course, had it's engine hanging off the rear and driving those wheels. VW CEO Martin Winterkorn says, "Our engineers favored a rear engine and fought until the end for that solution." Those dang accountants ruined the fun again.

A front-wheel drive architecture will undoubtedly lower the cost of the vehicle's development as it will allow for a much larger use of already-designed parts and will surely let VW use architecture from its Lupo small car. Still, that platform-sharing doesn't seem to be speeding up the development too much as it is now five full months behind schedule.

Hatchback, minivan and sedan versions of the platform are expected to begin sales in Europe in 2011, a full two years after rivals such as the Fiat Topolino and Toyota's iQ model are to go on sale. We have hopes that the up! will make it stateside, though the new FWD format surely makes them considerably less compelling to many eyes, ours included.


[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

Volkswagen has committed to building a family of small cars based on the up! concepts that debuted at auto shows in fall 2007. What they haven't yet committed to is a location for building those cars. Right now the leading contender in Europe appears to be the Skoda factory in Vrchlabi, Czech Republic. The up! based cars will be sold in several styles and under several VW Group brands. The basic version is intended as a city car that offers more utility than competitors like the Smart ForTwo. VW wants the up! to be able to accomodate four adults comfortably when needed although it will primarily be used for two occupants. With two people aboard, the up will still offer plenty of room for luggage for a trip or groceries. Because of the entry level segment the up! will compete in, VW needs a low cost source for the car, which is why the Skoda plant is currently favored.

[Source: Ward's Auto World]

A decade on from its revival, it has been unclear whether Volkswagen would ever build successor to the New Beetle. After all, how do follow up such an iconic retro shape? It now appears that Volkswagen may not only build a new New Beetle, but also expand the lineup into a mini-brand of its own. The sixth-generation Golf is set to debut in 2009 and its platform could be the basis for the next New Bug around 2010-11. Motor Trend is even speculating that it might be available with a hybrid powertrain. Based on the success of unique-looking hybrids like the Prius, a hybrid-only Beetle would actually make sense from a marketing perspective. A second potential vehicle could be a bug-shaped car based on the up! concept that debuted last year. Recent rumors had the production up! switching from the concept's rear-engine layout to a more conventional front-engine, front-drive setup. If they do keep the engine out back, a Beetle based on this platform truly would be a successor to the original.



[Source: Motor Trend, via Autoblog]

The government of Thailand wants to see at least 800,000 fuel efficient cars produced in the country annually by 2015.
Honda, Suzuki, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Tata and Toyota have already joined the program and received government approval for their investments. The latest company to apply to join the program is Volkswagen. Volkswagen had been trying to set up an alliance with Proton in Malaysia but those talks fell through last year. Volkswagen still wanted a location in South-east Asia besides China to build cars. The German manufacturer has previously indicated its intent to build variants of its New Small Family (NSF) cars in several locations around the world. The NSF cars were previewed with the three up! concepts that debuted at auto shows in Frankfurt, Tokyo and Los Angeles last fall. Lower cost NSF variants for developing markets will likely be built closer to those markets. That is probably the vehicle that Volkswagen has in mind for the Thai venture.

[Source: Wards Auto World]

Last fall at the Frankfurt Motor Show,Volkswagen unveiled their entry in the micro-car derby, the up! Yes, the name is goofy, but the car is cute and is apparently headed for production in 2010. AutoExpress has some contacts deep within Wolfsburg who have reported that the production up! will come down the assembly line looking almost identical to the concept. The basic shape of the 11.5 ft body is virtually unchanged although the head and tail lights the bumper will be revised. VW engineers are working on a pair of 600cc turbocharged two cylinder engines for the up! fueled by a choice of gasoline or diesel. The goal is to get both models under 100g/km of CO₂ emissions and achieve combined fuel economy of 78mpg (U.S.). Plans call for up!s with 3 and 5 doors as well as a slightly larger MPV version. In order to help meet the EU CO₂ emissions rules, other brands within the VW group will also get cars based on the same platform with versions in developing countries starting as low as $8,000. It's not going to be a challenger for the Tata Nano, but then again it's not meant to be.

[Source: AutoExpress]

We often bring you interesting motorcycle-related news because motorcycles, with their (usually) smaller-sized engines, often get much better fuel mileage than cars. Yamaha is no stranger to making great motorcycle engines, and they even have a history of developing and producing engines for cars. See the Taurus SHO for proof of that as well as the current V8-powered Volvo models. We hear that Toyota and Yamaha have teamed up to develop a two cylinder 1000cc engine for Toyota's planned microcar, the iQ. A concept version of the car was recently shown which features an odd 3+1 seating arrangement.

Volkswagen also has plans to produce a microcar called the Up! In VW's design, the engine is mounted at the rear of the car, while Toyota is expected to mount the motorcycle-derived engine at the front. Motorcycles usually employ "unit" construction, meaning that the engine block and transmission cases are cast as a single piece. This design can reduce the size of the drivetrain, making perfect sense for a microcar.

[Source: Automotive News (sub. required)]