Volkswagen will introduce a 5-door version of its Up! city car in Geneva.
Having already seen images leak out onto the web, Volkswagen has decided it’s not worth hiding the new 5-door hatchback version of its global minicar, the VW Up! – which will make its formal debut at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show.
Meanwhile, the German maker is getting ready to launch a spiced-up version of the 3-door city car, which will be badged the Up! GT. It’s the production version of the hot-hatch Up! that made its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show last autumn.
The Up! is sliding into the entry niche that once was filled by the Volkswagen Polo, the Up! GT targeting the sort of folks who might once have opted for the Golf GTI or smaller Lupo GTI.
The more functional 5-door will go on sale later this year, reportedly with a pair of turbocharged and direct-injected 1.0-liter, three-cylinder gasoline powertrains, one making 59 hp the other 74.
The 110-hp 3-cylinder engine should yield a sporty ride in the light and tiny Up! GT.
Under the hood of the Up! GT, however, VW will bolt on a bigger turbo and attach a six-speed manual gearbox, the little car making 100 hp – a significant number considering its minimal weight – the GT likely to come in at something under 2,200 pounds.
While the GT is likely to serve as a halo car, the 5-door is planned to become the volume offering in the fast-expanding Up! line-up, generating an estimated two-thirds of European sales.
The 5-door will maintain the basic dimensions of the original 3-door, measuring just 95 inches nose-to-tail. Despite that minimal footprint, the hatch yields about 9 cubic feet of cargo space – which jumps to 36 cf with the seats down.
VW also plans to introduce versions of the 3- and 5-door Up! under its Seat and Skoda brands.
For the moment, VW insists it has no plans to bring the Up! in any configuration to North America, but considering the growing interest in small cars – and the threat that fuel prices could soar once the American economy recovers – company officials hint to TheDetroitBureau.com that they may eventually revisit that strategy.