|
Some more info on the VW supermini. It's called the VW up! and will be an economy compact car in countries like India. Here's a link on Fifth Gear's website after they went to the ongoing Frankfurt Auto Show:
It might look like a cuter-than-usual baby hatchback, but the VW up! is more unusual than its conventional silhouette suggests, its engine sitting not up front, as it has in almost every supermini ever made, but in the rear under the boot floor, freeing up more space for passengers and luggage. This is quite a radical solution, but not half as radical as the news that this car could cost as little as £4000, a price that could earn it the 'people's car' title owned by the original VW Beetle. VW plans two versions of the up!, one very basic for emerging markets like India, and another, slightly pricier version with more equipment for Western markets like the UK. It's propelled by either a twin cylinder 600ccc engine or a 900cc triple. Little has been revealed of the twin's power output, but the three cylinder should allow the up! to reach 60mph in 12 seconds, and a top speed of over 110mph - pretty good for an economy car with the potential to return over 80mpg. Low weight is one reason for this excellent performance - the up! should weigh under 1000kg, usefully less than the 1170kg of a Polo. And it should be light - at 3.45m, it's almost 40cm shorter than VW's Fox, and only slightly longer than a Toyota Aygo. Features - Fifth Gear | 
