21 Jul 08 17:19
Volkswagen officials have confirmed that the forthcoming Up! city car will be front-engined when it reaches production in 2011, and not rear-engined like the original concept.
Though engineers are said to have fought for the rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive layout - a retro nod to the original Volkswagen Beetleand the company's roots - this configuration was decided to be too expensive to bring to production, and to place too many limitations on cabin space.
With a front-mounted engine and front-wheel-drive, the Up! - and subsequent variants like the Space Up! mini-MPV - can be based on an existing vehicle platform, such as that of the larger Polo.
The decision is reported to have delayed production of the Up!, originally scheduled for 2010. However, Volkswagen is confident it can sell 500,000 a year, with saloon, hatchback and mini-MPV models offered. Seat- and Skoda-branded versions are also expected to follow, though a tiny Audi on the same platform is unlikely.
