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.]

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]