2009 LA Auto Show: VW Says Diesel-Electric Subcompact Up! Could Deliver 70 MPG
By John O'Dell December 3, 2009
VW has said that it will bring an electric version of its Up! subcompact to the U.S.in 2014 - a car that will deliver up to 80 miles of travel on a fully-charged lithium-ion battery pack.
We love EVs, they are fun to drive, economical and greeeeen.
But for practicality we have to say ho-hum after hearing Volkswagen boast about the diesel-electic hybrid powertrain it has stuffed into the latest iteration of its Up! concept - a four-seat, aluminum and carbon-fiber study in featherweighting called the Up! Lite.
Introduced at the La Auto Show this week, the diesel-electric Lite packs a 0.8-liter clean diesel two-cylinder engine and a 10 kilowatt (13 horsepower) electric motor iunder its tiny hood.
The whole cars weighs in at just 1,530 pounds, almost 800 pounds less than a four-door Toyota Yaris.
That 51 horsepower powerplant - aided by the aluminum and plastic body's light weight and aerodynamic shape - is capable of delivering fuel economy of 70 miles a gallon, a top speed of 100 miles an hour.
The downside - 0-60 acceleration is a pretty sluggish 12 seconds. (A heftier electric drive component to the powerplant would help!)
VW technical director Ulrich Hackenberg said the Up! Lite concept is a study being shown to help VW destermine whether there is enough consumer interest in fuel efficiency to warrant building such a car - Amercians haven't been all the receptive of small cars with small engines in the past.
If VW is keeping its eye on the Millenial Generation, whose youngest members are just turning 12, instead of on the Baby Boomers who have all the buying power now but are heading into the sunset - it won't hesitate.
Better to be a little ahead of the curve than to be behind it.
Broad-bottomed Boomers might find the Up! too small and too slow, but there's a whole new mindset about personal transportation coming along.
A 70 MPG car like the Up! Lite is a lot more likely than a new Touareg SUV or CC sedan to resonate with many Millenials.
John O'Dell, Senior Editor
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