Uncamouflaged Volkswagen Up! hatchbacks spotted in Pune, India

Late last year, in the run up to the 2012 Indian Auto Expo, a Volkswagen Up! hatchback was spotted on a flatbed truck prompting speculations that Volkswagen India might showcase the Up! at the expo. However, that didn’t happen with Volkswagen India asserting that the Up! while being considered for India is still not a sure fire candidate for an Indian launch as many parts of the car needs to be extensively localized to meet the price point at which it can be launched in the country. So, that means that the Up! while being considered for the Indian market has still not been signed off for production.

2012 Volkswagen Up! Hatchback Spyshot Front End

Now though, both the 3 door and the 5 door version of the Volkswagen Up! with no camouflage whatsoever have been spotted at Pune, India. The lack of camouflage could indicate that the Up! is still sometime away from being launched in India as most if not all cars bound for India begin testing in the country under heavy camouflage. Interestingly, the cars spotted in India featured a right hand drive. As indicated from the spyshots, the Up! caught in India seems to feature premium interiors, which are a big step up from what we see on entry level cars in India. This kind of explains the reason why Volkswagen remains edgy about launching the Up! in India as the car could prove too expensive for the Indian entry level small car market.

In sharp contrast to this, The Volkswagen Up! is the German brand’s least priced entry level car and one which has gone on sale in the European market. Internationally, the Up! competes with the likes of the Suzuki Alto(A-Star in India) and the Nissan Pixo. The car is available with a 3 cylinder petrol engine in two states of tune, 59 Bhp and 74 Bhp. Both the engines are mated to a five speed manual gearbox. Volkswagen also has an all-electric variant of the Up! for city cars buyers in Europe. The Up! is also sold by Volkswagen group companies like Skoda and Seat.

: 2012 Volkswagen Up! Hatchback Spyshot Rear End

: 2012 Volkswagen Up! Hatchback Spyshot Interiors

: 2012 Volkswagen Up! Hatchback Spyshot Front End

Skoda sells the rebadged and restyled Up! under the CitiGo moniker while Spanish car brand Seat sells the Up! under the Mii brand name. So, the Volkswagen group seems to be betting big on the Up! and its various rebadged versions to bring in the big volumes as the demand for a fuel efficient and stylish city hatchback remains high in many developed markets across the world. An Indian launch though still seems uncertain at this moment.

Spyshots courtesy Team-Bhp