Volkswagen unveils a new concept Up! Lite.

Volkswagen has pulled the wraps off another concept at the LA Auto Show called the Up! Lite which they claim is the world’s most fuel efficient four-seater unlike its predecessor the two seater Up! The Up! Lite powertrain is a newly designed 0.8 litre TDI engine producing 51PS of power and features a 10kW electric motor that also functions as a starter, alternator and E-drive and also helps to reduce the TDI load. Together the engine and electric motor produce 61PS of power.

The three door concept’s TDI engine was featured on the Volkswagen L1 concept car previewed earlier at the Frankfurt Motor Show this year. The hybrid engine is mated to a seven-speed DSG dual clutch gearbox same as the one in the Polo and has a top speed of 160kmph along with a fuel economy of 40kmpl. The car is aptly termed the Up! Lite as it is constructed from a blend of lightweight materials such as aluminum, light weight steel, carbon fibre and tips the scales at just 1530 pounds. It has no sharp edges and looks like built from a single molded unit. The rear LED lights and the rear fog lights are integrated in the bumper while the interior mirror and side mirrors are replaced by camera’s, a novel styling by VW.

The Up! Lite is lower and longer than the E-Up! and at 3840mm it almost nears the Polo in length (3980mm). It has a host of innovative features such as active thermal management wherein the radiator grille closes and opens automatically depending on the engine’s cooling needs, passive park ventilation where hot air is vented outside the vehicle when it is parked in summers and easy entry feature that enables comfortable entry and exit for rear seat passengers along with internet, telephone, trip computer and MP3 all of which are centrally controlled via an intuitive touch screen with hand movement sensors. VW plans to roll out the first Up! in 2011, whether the Up! Lite will hit the production lines will depend on the how the the Up! fares. Here is what the original press release says:

“Volkswagen Announces World Premiere of the Up! Lite Concept at the Los Angeles Auto Show
The World's Most Fuel-Efficient Four Seater

•Volkswagen's Up! Lite concept consumes just 2.44 l/100 km (70 mpg/highway)
•Concept based on the future New Small Family from Volkswagen

Wolfsburg, Germany / Los Angeles, CA -- December 2, 2009 -- Volkswagen – Europe's 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 world's most fuel efficient car – and from the perspective of its overall CO2 footprint the world's 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.

Categories: VOLKSWAGEN