Author: Robin Roberts
The only way is Up!, says Volkswagen.
Up! is approximately the same size as the old Lupo, but it’s a very different story inside to the former city car and VW believes it will have more appeal, including to the daily rental companies.
Rory Lumsdon is VW UK product manager and said, “We have never really had a car like the Up!, which packs a lot of technology and features into a city car size, and I believe with the trend towards downsizing for economy and tax reasons that the Up will appeal to more buyers than our previous small cars like Lupo and Fox.”
Officially, VW say they anticipate about 10pc of all Up sales which begin with the three door now and will gain the five door in September, to go to business car buyers and principally daily rental companies, but Mr Lumsdon says he thinks it will be a higher percentage. “I think it will be at least 10pc,” he added.
One key option which could influence the take up by SME fleets is the introduction of the city emergency brake, a sensor and camera operated system which works in conjunction with the car’s ABS and ESP to read the road up to ten metres ahead and activate the brakes if the driver is four metres from a hazard and not acting to avoid an accident by steering, braking or depressing the clutch.
It is intended to prevent the typical nose to tail tap in slow moving traffic up to 19mph but which can cost several hundreds of pounds to repair.
It costs a little over £200 fitted but models with the system drop into the lowest 1E insurance category, making the basic model the cheapest to insure in the city car sector. This lower insurance cost, reduced accident risk and improved residual value are powerful attractions to small businesses and private buyers alike.
The Up! range runs from about £8,000 to £11,200 and is based on the latest three-cylinder 1.0 engines with 60 or 75PS outputs, emitting as little as 96gkm, and only five-speed transmission will initially be available but a automated manual will appear at the end of this year. VW says a plug-in electric version is coming in about 18 months. A GTi concept with manual six-speed gearbox has also been shown.
At launch there will be the TakeUp!, MoveUp! and HighUp! with the mid-model accounting for about 60pc of sales and the others 20pc each, but there will also be UK special edition UpBlack and UpWhite with enhanced trim and chrome-effect detailing.
Apart from the city emergency braking system another option available is a highly sophisticated ‘Maps & More’ mobile Personal Infotainment Device which clips above the central console and can be used to organise navigation, telephone, information and entertainment. Lastly with the options, a spare wheel is an extra cost for UK market.
