Volkswagen reveals the Cross Up! before its Geneva premiere

Come Geneva 2013, Volkswagen is ready to introduce yet another variant in the Up! lineup.

We saw no fewer than five unique concepts based on the Up! compact hatchback at the previous Frankfurt Motor show. So far we have seen only the three- and five-door avatars head to production. This year it is the time for the Cross Up! to take center stage. In fact the news that the Cross Up! is heading into production was brought to you by IAB just a month ago.

The recipe of adding off road garnish and the word ‘Cross’ into Volkswagen products has worked on VW models such as the Polo in the past. So it was only a matter of time before we saw the Cross Up!

The Cross Up! is based on the five door version of the Up!. It features ‘SUV themed’ black body cladding over the wheel arches and side sills. The bumper and the exterior mirrors are in light metallic silver finish. The suspension is not raised but it sits on 16-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 185/50 section tyres. Thus, it has 15 mm more ground clearance than the normal Up!

Inside, there are seats in special trim available in red or charcoal and a contrast dashboard (available in red, black or silver). On-board equipment includes fog lights, leather steering wheel, electric front windows, remote central locking, electrically adjustable, heated outside mirrors and split rear seats.

Power comes from a 1L, three-cylinder petrol engine churning 74hp connected to a five-speed manual gearbox driving the front wheels. In Germany, the new Cross Up! will have a starting price of €13,925 (9.97 lakhs INR).

There is a very good chance that the Indian automotive market will grow up to these sort of pseudo off roaders. We already have the Skoda Fabia Scout today. Tata Motors is very eager to launch the D90 Xtreme Concept. Fiat India is working on an ‘Adventure’ version of the Punto. Needless to say that Volkswagen India will keep an eye on the Cross Up! for the future.

[Source: Carscoop.blogspot.in]