Volkswagen will be unveiling the Up! for the first time in production guise to the global media on the 21st of August in Paris. The German automaker has started a teaser website (here). The Volkswagen Up! is the first attempt by Volkswagen to make a global car which is cheaper than the Polo. The company plans to launch a saloon version of the Up!, which could rival the Ford Fiesta Classic, Maruti Swift DZire and Toyota Etios. However the Up! will only be launched in India in 2013.
The Volkswagen Up! is expected to be powered by both petrol and diesel engines. The petrol motor could be the same one which does duty on the Polo, however slightly detuned to make it more fuel efficient. The diesel unit will be an all new version 800cc turbocharged motor with two cylinders, producing around 50 BHP of power. Volkswagen has codenamed the Up! as NSF (new small family car) and we expect the car to be priced between Rs. 3-4 lakhs, helping the German automaker in reaching their target of becoming the world’s largest automaker by 2018.
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