The Volkswagen Up – which is now finally available in South Africa in five-door flavour – is a fun little car. And, according to reports, it’s about to become even more fun.
Yes, Autocar Magazine in the UK says that VW is indeed working on a hot hatch version of the popular city car.
The facelifted Volkswagen Up is due to arrive in SA in early 2017, possibly boasting a more powerful 66 kW version of its 1,0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine (the current model makes 55 kW).
But, citing senior VW engineers, the publication suggests that the rumoured Volkswagen Up GTI will instead employ a version of the brand’s 1,0-litre turbo-triple (as seen in the Golf BlueMotion in Europe), which churns out a healthier 84 kW.
That may not sound like very much, but along with peak torque of 200 N.m and a reported raft of chassis upgrades (lower ride height, uprated dampers, etc.), it should be plenty for the pint-sized Up. In fact, Autocar says that prototypes fitted with the automaker’s DSG transmission can hit 100 km/h from standstill in around eight seconds.
Whether or not the finished product will wear the GTI badge, though, is another question altogether. Indeed, rumours of a production Up GT have been swirling since soon after the regular model’s launch in 2011, with Volkswagen even revealing a GT concept and then a prototype a few years back.
And if it does indeed go into production, we’d expect the hot little Up to wear this GT badge, rather than the GTI moniker. Here’s hoping it happens.
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