Return of the Rear-Engine VW: Up! Concept

The future of Volkswagen city cars has just been unveiled at the brand's

home auto show in Frankfurt, with the all-new Up! Concept.

The Up! takes the mechanical layout of the original Beetle, a rear-engine, rear-wheel drive layout that can seat up to four passengers. With no hard points to build around, Volkswagen's head stylist Walter De'Silva was able to shy away from the usual bubble design language of city-sized vehicles while showing the face of forthcoming Volkswagens. The headlamps are six-sided, angular units, with a prominent VW logo in the center. The front and rear bumpers both feature D-shaped intakes, which give the vehicle a happy, cheerful look. Besides optimization for space, this design should give the Up! the upper hand with both frontal crash tests as well as pedestrian impact protection.

The interior of the Up! is very simple and revolves around a few basic principles of design minimalism and space maximization. The driver faces

a two-spoke steering wheel backed by an 8-inch LCD display, which replaces the traditional instrument cluster, showing all the usual gauges plus a couple of unexpected ones, such as the navigation system and a carbon dioxide meter.

In place of a fixed console, the Up! features a 7-inch touchscreen unit with an interface that also uses proximity sensors to react to hand movements. Unlike most human interface systems, the Up! was specifically designed to be easy to use, even to those who aren't familiar with computers. The menus have been split into function and entertainment sections on a new “carousel” layout, and are easily divided for user friendliness. Though it hasn't been confirmed, the system has been rumored to be designed by Apple. If it isn't it should be, as the two companies are an ideal fit.

Meanwhile, each of the four seats (except the driver's) can be removed in order to maximize interior space. By putting the engine in the rear and lengthening the wheelbase, the cabin of the Up! is airy and roomy.

Due to the unique design of the seats, inspired by an air mattress, they can also be easily removed and stored within the vehicle when not in use turning the tiny Up! into an enormous cargo hauler. Furthermore, the seats can be adjusted to meet the physical size and stature of the occupants making them truly ergonomically correct.

"The seats are extremely comfortable and the overall layout well organized," commented American Auto Press Editor-in-Chief Trevor Hofmann, who attended the preview event last night in Frankfurt. "And the fit, finish and materials quality are traditional VW, meaning top-grade."

Although the Up! is only a concept car, there's a good chance that Volkswagen will consider putting it into production internationally, with Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn stating that he believes "it WILL be a very, very successful car" when it arrives on the market.

Part of being successful is reduced production costs, and that's where the rear window comes in. All electronics, from the LED taillights to the rear wiper and rooftop spoiler are built into the hatch, reducing steps in the production process. Even a large VW logo is etched into the glass, rather than the traditional chrome-plated one.

Powered by a turbocharged two or a three cylinder engine with a simplistic mechanical interface and without many luxuries, the Up! is a perfect solution for growing nations, and with its projected 67 mpg fuel economy rating it would do well just about anywhere. Meanwhile, with its slick styling, ultra green image, and high-end LCD interfaces, it would be an urban hit.

Watch this space – the Up! could be the next Volkswagen Beetle.