Listen Up! Now With Four Doors!

by Bertel Schmitt

Published: January 23rd, 2012

After having been more or less luckless (Lupo, Fox ..) in the minicar category, Volkswagen appears to have finally found a winner with its autocorrect-busting Up! In Germany, the two-door city car immediately took first place in its class. In December, the Up! sold nearly the same as the former class champs Renault Twingo and Toyota Aygo sold together (see table.) To make backseat drivers more comfortable, Volkswagen introduces a four-door version of the Up!

Sales Germany, Mini Segment, December And Full Year 2011

MINISDecember 2011Total 2011UnitsShareGrowthUnitsShareSegment Total16,2616.7%7.3%177,7445.6%VW UP!3,05818.8%X3,8842.2%RENAULT TWINGO1,82711.2%9.7%21,89712.3%TOYOTA AYGO1,82511.2%76.8%12,1636.8%

Internally, the car is known by its acronym NSF (New Small Family). In May a four letter door NSFW (New Small Family Wagen) will arrive at dealers in Germany. By early summer, four doors will open to all of Europe.

With the four-door up! Volkswagen introduces another data-point car reviewers will have to add to their check list: The “H- point.”

The “H- point” seems to be the new G-spot for small cars, even if Volkswagen describes it in clinical detachment as “the relevant vertex of the angle formed by the seat surface and the backrest.”

The H-point of the four-door up! is 378 mm in the rear, which – so Volkswagen tells us – “is higher than in front (306 mm).”

Let’s assume that’s good.

#BertelSchmitt #Germany #Up! #Volkswagen

Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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3 of 28 comments

Wallstreet on Jan 24, 2012

I can't believe nobody has yet to mention " Panther".

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Blocbusta on Jan 24, 2012

http://www.euroncap.com/results/vw/up/2011/472.aspx As long as you aren't a pedestrian (screw those guys!) It seems like the uP! is fairly safe.

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- Th009 on Jan 24, 2012
  
  And here is an American SUV (the only one tested by EuroNCAP) as a comparison point: http://www.euroncap.com/tests/jeep_grand_cherokee_2005/239.aspx Not that this will be any help for VD ...
  
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