Volkswagen has unveiled an interesting Volkswagen Buggy Up! Concept at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany. It’s based on the new Volkswagen Beetle.
Volkswagen says the Volkswagen Buggy Up! Concept represents a retro design first seen in the 1960s. The company also says the company was made with eight key characteristics in mind; freedom, openness, safe, snappy, colourful, waterproof, sound and go-cart.
Just looking at the Buggy Up! Concept and it’s easy to see it falls straight into most of the categories very obviously, showcasing an open-air cabin with no doors and an open-top targa-style roof. There’s also a bright ‘hot orange’ colour scheme, while the lower panel areas are a more robust matt metallic grey.
When Volkswagen says the new Buggy Up! Concept is waterproof, it doesn’t mean it in the initial sense. Volkswagen says that the seats are made from neoprene materials and have drain holes in the bottom of them. The floor inside the Buggy Up! also features a drainage system which allows any water that enters the cabin to run out freely.
Overall, the Volkswagen Buggy Up! Concept sits 20mm lower in roof height compared with the Volkswagen Up! hatch, but it is wider and longer, helping to provide go-kart-like handle and steering.
The body is mostly made of glass-reinforce plastic while the main structures are made from “high-tech, lightweight construction steels”. Volkswagen also says the Buggy Up! features a strong roll bar immediately behind the cabin, providing protection in the event of a roll over.
Specific powertrain details have not been mentioned, but it is likely to feature some sort of all-wheel drive driveline and eco-friendly engine setup.
Of course, Volkswagen has no concrete plans at this stage to put the Volkswagen Buggy Up! Concept into production. It was created as technical demonstration as to what the company could provide in the future.
What do you think of it? Would you like to take one down to your favourite beach house getaway?