Earlier this year, reports surfaced that Volkswagen was considering pulling the plug on the pint-sized Up!. However, it appears the model might have been given a reprieve.
Automobile is reporting the company was initially considering more exciting variants based on the existing PQ architecture or transitioning the model to the newer MQB platform. Volkswagen’s passenger car boss, Dr. Herbert Diess, reportedly rejected both ideas as he thought the first plan would just result in the status quo while the MQB route would simply be too expensive.
Instead, the executive reportedly suggested an alternative which would see the Up! and its siblings become available exclusively as electric vehicles. The new models will reportedly be positioned as a Smart competitor and be loosely based on the existing e-Up!.
The decision to base the model on the existing EV will cut costs and the car will reportedly benefit from knowledge learned during the development of the MEB platform that will underpin models such as the ID Buzz, ID Crozz, and ID Hatch.
Both three- and five-door models are expected to return and they could eventually be joined by a crossover-inspired variant.
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