FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW: up! and coming

Volkswagen had no less than six concepts based on its new up! light car line at this year's Frankfurt motor show, and two will be in production within 12 months. The regular Volkswagen up! is slated for Australian release late 2012 and will give Volkswagen a new weapon with which to take on the Toyota Yaris and Holden Barina.

Fed by two compressed natural gas (CNG) tanks located under the floor of the eco up! and carrying a total capacity of 72 litres (11kg of CNG), the engine develops 50kW and emits just 79g/km of CO2 while consuming 2.5kg/100km of CNG.

The CNG tanks are built into the car's rear structure and are backed up by a 10-litre "reserve petrol tank." The only impingement of the integrated tanks is the loss of the spare wheel well.

Volkswagen says the running costs of the eco up! are extremely low. Based on current fuel prices in Germany, the company claims "It is hardly possible to drive more economically than this."

A CNG up! minus BlueMotion technology, giving fuel consumption readings of 3.2kg/km and CO2 emissions of 86g/km, will be introduced in 2012. Volkswagen says the BlueMotion technology version "will have long been on the road as a production vehicle" by next year's Frankfurt show.

One of the few things distinguishing it from the regular up! is the deletion of the upper engine air intake and its replacement by a chrome strip. Volkswagen says the slots above and below the e-up!'s licence plate "suffice to cool the drive system."

The e-up! is also identified by an arc-shaped LED daytime running light display in the front bumper.

With a battery capacity of 18 kilowatt hours, the e-up! is claimed to be capable of covering as much as 130km on a full charge. The batteries are located under the e-up!'s floor, while the electric motor and drive components are located in the front engine compartment.

The "nearly silent" electric motor generates a peak power of 60kW and is able to produce a continuous 40kW. Top speed is quoted at 135km/h, while the maximum torque of 210Nm is available from standstill.

With four doors rather than two, the cross up! is described by Volkswagen as having "nearly a van-like appearance."

The cross up! features a window sill line that extends straight through to the c-pillar rather than kicking up towards the rear.

More defined dark anthracite wheel arches , black side protection strips, aggressive looking  metallic silver bumpers, a bigger grille, silver under body protection and 15mm more ground clearance distinguish the cross up! from the more wimpy varieties.

Inside, there's special red/grey trim, painted dash pad and upper door trim panels in body colour, as well as protective door sill guards.

Volkswagen says that among other things, the cross up! shows what regular four-door up! versions will look like.

According to Volkswagen the up! chassis is able to handle a lot more power than that provided right now in regular versions. And the engine has the potential to produce as much as 100kW which, in concert with a low weight of around 900kg presents the possibility of seriously swift performance. The press material makes no bones about referring to its own Golf GTI when discussing the GT up!.

Suspension changes would be a no-brainer too, although Volkswagen doesn't discuss such issues at present. Rather, it enthuses over the white pearl paint, the gape-mouthed front end, 17-inch wheels, LED daytime running lights, roof spoiler and dual tailpipes peeping out at each side of the rear bumper.

Inside, it's all anthracite with the odd touch of blue in the seats and the air vents, plus black roof lining and a glossy black dash providing a visual contrast.

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