2019 Volkswagen Up Lite Concept
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 coupe at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show (December 4 to 13): the world premiere of the Volkswagen Up! Lite Concept. 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 Volkswagen 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 technically challenging 2-Liter fuel consumption car might be launched globally. 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. 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. The centerpiece of the Volkswagen 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 Volkswagen Up! Lite was also used aboard the VW L1 concept car that Volkswagen presented in September at the 2009 IAA Motor Show in Frankfurt. In two of its operating phases, the hybrid drive of the VW 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 Volkswagen 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. Naturally, on the Volkswagen Up!
Lite there is nothing lacking in comfort or safety. Overall, the Volkswagen 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. Even the most innovative car must look good to really be fun. And the Volkswagen 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 Volkswagen 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 Volkswagen E-Up! 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 VW 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 VW 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 Volkswagen Up! The counterparts of these lights are found in the front bumper as front fog lights. The car's 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.
