Geneva motor show 2012: VW Up concepts

The Volkswagen Up has appeared in four new concept guises at the Geneva motor show – the Swiss Up, Winter Up, X Up and Cargo Up.

Swiss Up, designed to pay tribute to Geneva and Switzerland, has an exterior and interior that’s painted in the red and white colours of the Swiss flag.

The cabin is finished in the ‘ceramique’ trim colour. The leather is also styled in ‘ceramique’ in the outer area of the seats, the rear head restraints and the middle of the rear bench seat; the seat surfaces (and grab handles in the roofliner) are upholstered with brown Alcantara.

Running laterally across the centre panels of the front seat backrests is a narrow leather band. Worked into each leather band is a holder for a pocket knife. White, silk-like ‘porcelain paint’ adorns the dashboard, while the decorative bezels of the round air vents are painted in ‘tornado red’.

The Winter Up is based on the four-door Cross Up concept that was on show at the Frankfurt motor show last year. It is designed for winter sports, and features a snowboard carrier on the roof rails. The car also has ESP with differential locks to deal with snowy road conditions.

The Volkswagen is painted in two colours: ‘pure white’ and ‘malibu blue’. The body surfaces are painted in cool ‘pure white’, while ‘malibu blue’ is used as a contrasting colour on the bumpers, the door mirror housings and the seam that runs parallel to the side windows.

This variant has underbody protection at the front and rear, and rugged exterior accents on the wheel wells and side sills. Up to four snowboards or six skis can be stowed on the roof rail-mounted holder.

The X Up is intended as a ‘go anywhere’ vehicle and gets a roof box with two integrated searchlights, as well as robust side panels and underbody guards at the front and rear.

Like the Winter Up, it is based on the Cross Up and could potentially go into production very quickly. The X Up is painted in ‘burned orange metallic’ with the bumpers and roof box finished in ‘anthracite’. The surrounds of the search and fog headlights are chrome. The interior gets two-tone door inserts, door entry sills and a special gearshift grip.

The Cargo Up is designed as a delivery van and offers 1400 litres of rear space. It is equipped with underbody protection front and rear, and its sides have sill trim panels. As with the cross up!, there is also a roof railing. Inside, the cargo up! has been emptied except for the driver seat and the cockpit. This has created a flat cargo floor both on the passenger's side and in the boot.

Powered by the entry-level 59bhp engine in the Up range, the Cargo Up weighs 929kg, can carry a payload of 426kg and has a 15mm higher ride height.