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It also points the way for a new family of Volkswagen small cars from 2011. The ultra-frugal Up! Lite is VW's Los Angeles Motor Show star. Drawing inspiration from the L1 Concept which debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, VW has packaged a more user friendly body with a drag coeffficent of just 0.237 - that's ultra-slippery.
It is capable of seating four adults and is driving by a hybrid that sips fuel at just 2.5 litres/100km while emitting just 65 g/km of CO2. How does it do it? The car tips the scales at just 695kg, almost 30 per cent lighter than the VW Fox.
The Up! Lite is powered by an 800cc two cylinder common rail diesel engine closely linked to that seen in the L1 Concept developing 38kW at 4000 revs and 120Nm between 1800 revs and 2250 revs. The diesel engine is combined with a 10kW electric motor to give the Up! Lite a useful boost when overtaking. Alternatively it can be disengaged from the diesel engine entirely and used during low speed manoeuvres.
Gear changes are carried out via a seven-speed twin clutch DSG automatic gearbox. As with VW's BlueMotion models, the Up! Lite uses a start-stop system to maximise efficiency and regenerative braking. The car is built from a light mix of materials including aluminium and carbon fibre to keep the vehicles kerb weight to a minimum. Even the diesel engine is a featherweight, weighing just 55kg. This allows the concept's modest hybrid drivetrain to push the car to 100km/h in 12.5 seconds before reaching a top speed of 160km/h.
The styling joins the mechanical changes in breaking new ground for Volkswagen. It debuts a new styling direction with obvious references to the current Polo and Golf but with entirely new elements such as the rear end styling and the window line. At 3840mm long, it is slightly shorter than the Polo and is styled to maximise aerodynamic efficiency. The radiator grille closes shuts off completely when its not required and tiny cameras which take the place of conventional wing mirrors to improve aerodynamics.
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