Volkswagen Up! Lite Concept (Foto Ufficiali)

[Touareg 2.5]

To the Point: Volkswagen Premiere in Los Angeles:

Up! Lite This car is the worlds most fuel-efficient four-seater

Volkswagens Up! Lite concept consumes just 2.44 l/100 km (70 mpg/highway)

Concept based on the future New Small Family from Volkswagen

Wolfsburg / Los Angeles, 02 December 2009 - Volkswagen Europes strongest automotive brand is setting standards worldwide when it comes to efficiency with its clean high-tech TDI and TSI engines. Now this is being followed up by latest coup at the Los Angeles Auto Show (December 4 to 13): the world premiere of the Up! Lite A progressive, fuel efficient and in all details cleverly designed four-seater with a hybrid drive. Combined fuel consumption: 2.44 l/100 km or 70 mpg/highway! No other car is more sustainable. With a drive concept consisting of a TDI (turbo-diesel), electric motor and 7-speed Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) as well as top aerodynamics (Cd value: 0.237), Volkswagen is driving CO2 emissions down to a sensational 65 g/km. This makes the three-door concept the worlds most fuel efficient car and from the perspective of its overall CO2 footprint the worlds most environmentally friendly four-seat car as well. Both technically and visually, the Up! Lite is a preview of the future. The image of the car body with its clean lines, as though sculpted from a block of aluminium, underscores just how fascinating a car tuned to aerodynamic perfection can look.

The ideal car for the daily commute to work

The technically challenging 2-Liter fuel consumption car might be launched globally. Many of the components of the 695 kilogram light Volkswagen are based on those of the future New Small Family, an entirely new model series that is already scheduled for market launch in initial countries at the end of 2011. The Up! Lite concept continues the Volkswagen strategy of offering high-tech and high-end quality in all of its vehicle classes, making progress affordable for every car driver. The Up! Lite was designed to be a versatile vehicle that makes trips into the city, commutes to work and naturally long trips as well significantly less expensive and more eco-friendly.

Hybrid drive enables electric driving

The centerpiece of the Up! Lite powertrain is the newly designed 0.8 TDI two-cylinder turbo-diesel engine with a power of 38 kW / 51 PS. Furthermore, the electric motor (10 kW) designed as a pulse start module (starter, alternator and E-drive) also reduces the load of the TDI, provides added propulsion (boosting) and works to recover kinetic energy (regenerative braking). During boost phases e.g. in a quick passing maneuver the TDI and E-motor combine for a total power of 48 kW / 65 PS. Incidentally, a version of the TDI used in the Up! Lite was also used aboard the L1 concept car that Volkswagen presented in September at the IAA Motor Show in Frankfurt.

In two of its operating phases, the hybrid drive of the Up! Lite was designed to operate without any TDI propulsion at all. First phase: In so-called coast-down, activated by the driver taking his or her foot off the gas pedal (car coasts, TDI engine is shut off). Second phase: Over shorter distances, e.g. in residential areas, the E-motor can power the Up! Lite all by itself. In this case, a lithium-ion battery supplies the energy. Since it is capable of pure electric driving, the configuration is classified as a full hybrid. Shifting work is handled by a 7-speed Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) like the one used in the new Polo. Moreover, the Volkswagen is equipped with a Stop-Start system.

Comfort and safety without compromises

Naturally, on the Up! Lite there is nothing lacking in comfort or safety. ESP is on board, airbags are on board, ample space is on board, highly advanced information and control features are on board, and it is good to know that occupants are enclosed and protected by a highly innovative safety frame of aluminium, steel and carbon fiber. The Volkswagen concept has a top speed of 160 km/h (100 mph) and accelerates to 100 km/h in a respectable 12.5 seconds (0-60 mph in 12 seconds).

"Made in Germany"

Overall, the Up! Lite is a prime example of the art of innovative engineering with the "Made in Germany" seal. And indeed not only because of its efficient powertrain and lightweight body construction. Other examples include: The radiator grille that closes and opens automatically depending on the cooling needs of the engine ("active thermal management"); and instead of a classic rearview mirror, three cameras perform this job better and more aerodynamically; when the car is parked in the summer, hot air is vented to outside the vehicle ("passive park ventilation"); an "optimized Easy-Entry feature" enables extremely comfortable entry and exit from the rear seating area; longitudinal adjustments to the driver and front passenger seats automatically adjusts seat height as well; when folding the rear bench seat, the seatback is easily unlatched by folding the rear head restraints forward ("Easy Switch"); many vehicle features (including ventilation, Internet, telephone, MP3, video, telephone, trip computer, radio) are controlled centrally via an intuitive touchscreen with hand movement sensors.

Design of the world of tomorrow

Even the most innovative car must look good to really be fun. And the Up! Lite with its "Liquid Blue Metallic" exterior is fun. That is because the 3.84 meter long, 1.40 meter tall and 1.60 meter wide Up! Lite makes a futuristic, bold and in its form very independent appearance. It is a car that looks as though it were cast from a single mould. Compared to the E-Up! concept car presented at the 2009 International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt, it is lower in profile and to satisfy even more demanding aerodynamic requirements it is longer, nearly reaching the length of the Polo (3.98 meters).

The styling itself portrays a compact vehicle that genuinely reflects its sustainable drive system and overall progressive concept. At the rear, the Up! Lite has the appearance of a distinctive hatchback sports car. As a result, the broad shoulder section is definitely reminiscent of the Scirocco. Furthermore, the look of the lower area is dominated by the large glass surface of the hatch, the LED rear lights and the rear fog lights (c-shaped) integrated in the bumper in typical Up! style. The counterparts of these lights are found in the front bumper as front fog lights. The cars side profile has clean styling with markedly smooth surfaces. There are no edges except for the upper tornado line, the wheel wells and a connection line integrated there. The side cameras that replace the outside mirrors look like winglets on the wings of a cargo plane. A novel stylistic and technical feature: the 18-inch wheels are produced from a combination of aluminium and carbon fiber. That is because sports appeal and fuel economy do not need to be mutually exclusive.

Already thinking about tomorrow today

By the way: In Europe, Volkswagen is currently demonstrating that minimal fuel consumption can be realized in all segments today, in the latest versions of the Polo (3.3 l/100 km; 58 mpg/highway), Golf (3.8 l/100 km; 51 mpg/highway) and Passat (4.4 l/100 km; 48 mpg/highway).

cochespias

E questa?? Mi spiazza! Non me l'aspettavo .

Mi piace!

[superkappa125]

Non è male, rimane comunque una blatta in formato VW...

Certamente meglio di Prius e Insight...

[Touareg 2.5]

autoblog.com

Tre foto live

[Touareg 2.5]

Al Salone di Los Angeles Volkswagen ha giocato una carta a sorpresa: una concept car innovativa dal peso piuma e dai consumi ridottissimi. La Up! Lite, in soli 3,8 metri, arriva a pesare appena 695 kg e a percorrere più di 40 km con un litro, con emissioni di CO2 di soli 65 g/km.

In genere le show car come questa vogliono stupire, più che presentare novità imminenti. Ma stavolta non è così. Bisogna, infatti, guardare oltre le linee futuristiche e pulite della citycar di Wolfsburg e cercare la sostanza. Eccola: il motore è un bicilndrico turbodiesel da 800 cm3 che sviluppa 51 CV ed è abbinato a un modulo elettrico da 10 kW e al cambio Dsg a sette marce. L'insieme crea un sistema ibrido, che rende la piccola una vettura risparmiosa ed ecologica.

Lo stesso bicilindrico sarà in seguito utilizzato sulla nuova gamma di citycar al debutto nel 2011: la prima sarà la Up!, un'utilitaria a trazione anteriore destinata a competere con la Toyota iQ e la Smart fortwo. A questo modello si aggiungeranno altre varianti, tra le quali potrebbe esserci la Up! Lite.

Ma torniamo al motore: il bicilindrico deriva dal nuovo 1.6 TDI montato su Golf, Polo e sulle altre vetture medie del Gruppo Volkswagen. Come il suo "fratello" più grande, anche questo propulsore può contare sull'iniezione diretta di gasolio e su componenti in alluminio, che aiutano a ridurne il peso.

Il design avveniristico della Up! Lite mette in mostra immediatamente il marchio di fabbrica della scuola di Walter de' Silva, responsabile dello stile di tutto il Gruppo di Wolfsburg: linee pulite, calandra sottile, spigoli inesistenti e un posteriore ispirato a un'altra concept, la L1, presentata al Salone di Francoforte.

Anche gli interni sono ingegnosi: a bordo c'è spazio sufficiente per quattro persone e il bagagliaio può contenere fino a 217 litri. In una rassegna avara di novità come quella di Los Angeles, la citycar tedesca si è presa buona parte della scena. Se non altro perché ha mostrato agli occhi degli americani come si possono ridurre i consumi e le emissioni con un po' di buon senso e tanta tecnologia.

[alettone75]

mi piace molto questa concept... se esce per me fa il botto!

[Guglielmi]

bel frontale ma gruppi ottici posteriori bruttissimi.. oltre a queste inutili annotazioni (visto che è solo un concept) la trovo molto interessante ma non credo sia così vicina come ci vogliono far credere... da quì alla fine del 2011 ci sono solo 2 anni... un'auto del genere credo necessiti di una gestazione molto più lunga per collaudare bene tutte le innovazioni...

[_hainz]

Chissà come saranno collegati motore elettrico e bicilindrico diesel...ho una vaga idea...anzi penso che copieranno un'idea sabauda!!!

[Arcy79]

mi piace, sopratutto nel frontale (De silva ha prtato gi anteriori incazzati in wv ), mentre la trovo un pò curiosa, ma particolare, al posteriore

qualcuno mi dce cosa sarebbero quei tre ciindri sotto il parabrezza?

[Touareg 2.5]

Rabbocco olio, acqua per i tergi e non so cosa.

[Arcy79]

Rabbocco olio, acqua per i tergi e non so cosa.