The production version of the Volkswagen up! made its debut at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. At the same time, the German automaker also revealed six concept cars based on the up! and announced that it wasn’t out of the question to see some of them in showrooms over the next decade.
The first of the six concepts to be given the green light for production is the electric version of the up!, appropriately dubbed the e-up! It will be launched in 2013 and go head-to-head against Daimler’s smart fortwo electric drive.
The Volkswagen group is not stopping with the up! Skoda CEO Dr. Winfried Vahland confirmed that the brand will launch an electric version of the Citigo a year after the e-up! makes its debut. An electric SEAT Mii is very likely, but the Spanish brand has not commented on the matter.
The up!/Citigo duo will use the same 85 kilowatt electric motor. If its technical specifications are anything like that of the e-up! concept presented in Frankfurt, it will boast 155 lb-ft of torque, a top speed of 84 miles per hour, and a range of 80 miles.
Volkswagen, SEAT, and Skoda are all currently testing electric technology through a series of pilot programs carried out throughout Europe. Aside from pure electric vehicles, the Volkswagen Group is also working on plug-in hybrid versions of larger cars such as the Skoda Yeti and the SEAT Leon.
References
1.’Erst E-Up…’ view
