LOS ANGELES AUTO SHOW

U.S. to see diesel VW Beetle, electric Up!

Lindsay Chappell
Automotive News
December 7, 2009 - 12:01 am ET
LOS ANGELES -- The next-generation Volkswagen Beetle, coming to the United States as a 2012 model, will eventually get a clean diesel engine, says Volkswagen Group of America President Stefan Jacoby.

The United States also will get an electrified version of VW's Up! hatchback in 2014, although not the gasoline-powered version.

In a world debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show, VW unveiled a four-seat electric concept, the Up! Lite. The three-door car has a two-cylinder diesel engine, a 10-kilowatt electric motor and a carbon-fiber roof.

The car will be built in Germany and will go on sale first in Europe, said Ulrich Hackenberg, head of technical development for Volkswagen AG.

"This is a study to find out whether customers have an interest in very low fuel consumption," Hackenberg said of the Up! Lite. "For American customers, it's very important to present themselves as green."

The Up! Lite weighs about 1,530 pounds -- about 900 pounds less than a Hyundai Accent.

The Up! hatchback, which will not be sold in the United States, reaches Europe at the end of 2011. The Up! lineup also includes a minivan and sedan that go on sale in Europe in 2011.

You can reach Lindsay Chappell at lchappell@crain.com.

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