VOLKSWAGEN HAS COMMITTED itself to bringing a production version of its all-electric E-Up! concept to market by 2013, and aims to make the pint-sized city car the “Beetle of the 21st century”.

Utilising a 3+1 seating arrangement, the E-Up! concept saves interior space by storing its lithium-ion battery pack under the floor.

Overall weight of the concept [...]

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SPEAKING WITH GERMAN magazine Stern, Volkswagen Research and Development chief Dr Ulrich Hackenberg echoed earlier comments by CEO Dr Martin Winterkorn that the carmaker will have an all-electric vehicle on the market by 2013.

Adding credence to speculation that the EV would be a production version of the Up! concept, Hackenberg said that the car [...]

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REPORTS in late June suggested that Volkswagen had been toying with a possible cooperative alliance with Japanese manufacturer Suzuki to improve its ‘ultra small car’ expertise.

According to a Reuters piece at the time, an unidentified source said that Volkswagen was looking to offer a range of small cars based on the Up! concept, [...]

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Lovers of cute little A-to-B commuters rejoice: Volkswagen has confirmed it is working on a new range of small cars, dubbed “New Small Family”. To make the most of the platform’s potential, VW also plans to sell the little blighters with Seat and Skoda badges applied. A production version of the Volkswagen Up! [...]

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While visiting the Paris Motor show, Audi board member Peter Schwarzenbauer confirmed rumours that Audi will launch a small fully-electric city car, coming in the not-too-distant future.  With rumours circulating that Audi’s main rival, BMW, is working on an electric version of the Mini Cooper for the LA Motor Show, such a move would make [...]

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