The new Volkswagen e-up! has higher range, better standard equipment and is cheaper.
The next generation Volkswagen e-up! (accompanied with its derivatives Škoda CITIGOe iV and Seat Mii Electric) will be unveiled at the upcoming 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show.
The German manufacturer announced that the electric 4-seater will not only get more range (up to 260 km/162 miles WLTP), but will also be cheaper than the outgoing generation.
The old e-up! was sold in Germany for €26,900 until late 2018 when nearly € 4,000 price drop was announced – €22,975. The next generation will start at €21,975 ($24,271) before incentives.
After deducting the incentives, at least in Germany, the effective prices to be €17,595 ($19,433).
“Anyone purchasing an e-up! in Germany receives €2,000 as an “environmental bonus” in the form of a government subsidy plus another €2,380 subsidy from Volkswagen. What’s more, any employee using a new e-up! as a company car is taxed only 0.5 percent instead of 1.0 percent of the new vehicle’s price. The low price of the e-up! and associated subsidies make this electric vehicle an enticing model from a financial perspective. When the support programmes are taken into account, it will actually be possible to lease the e-up! for the aforementioned €159 per month.”
The improved range is a direct result of increasing the battery capacity from 18.7 kWh to 32.3 kWh (usable we guess), as the Škoda and Seat messages mentioned 36.8 kWh (total).
The battery can be recharged to 80% state-of-charge at 40 kW in 60 minutes. It’s not yet confirmed whether the on-board charger will be 7.2 kW like in Škoda and Seat.
Standard equipment includes: “an automatic air conditioning system the “composition phone” radio system with a Bluetooth interface and DAB+, “maps + more” as a docking station and multifunctional app, as well as the Lane Assist lane departure warning system.”
Volkswagen expects that because of upgraded specs and lowered price, the volume of e-up! in Europe will increase significantly:
“The low price for the e-up! is a result of the economies of scale enabled by high production volumes. Indeed, Volkswagen plans to offer more electric vehicles than ever before. According to forecasts, in the case of the five-door e-up!, production volume is also set to increase significantly from the predecessor model’s figures.”
New Volkswagen e-up! specs:
Outgoing generation of e-up!
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