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In summer 2011, as one of three Up! bodystyles due to arrive from August 2011. The Lupo name was originally mooted, as tipped by the Up constituent; reflecting how the iRoc became the Scirocco.These are among the first spy photos of the new Volkswagen Up! – the city car with which VW will spear into the new affordable small car market around the world. The VW Up! will be pitched upmarket for developed countries, but can be switched to a lower cost mix for more developing markets.

Scooped in the Californian desert testing ahead of a 2011 debut, the VW Up! appears to be as short and stubby as the concept car. Although still lurking beneath several weeks' deliveries of binbags, we can make out the compact footprint of Volkswagen's smallest car which is tipped to cost from around £6000-£7000.

So when does the VW Up! go on sale?

Our new VW Up! spy photos reveal the three-door version; a five-door hatchback will be available from launch, while a taller Space Up! microvan will follow. VW is targeting 600,000 sales per year, once the full suite of models is deployed and once global sales have been launched in every market.

Is the VW Up! technically interesting?

The engineering story has chopped and changed since the launch of the original rear-engined, rear-wheel drive Up! concept. Cost and complexity forced a switch to a more conventional front-engined, front-drive layout, much of the architecture shared with the previous-gen Polo.

As previously reported by Georg Kacher, here is how the three-door Up! compares to the current Polo: wheelbase 2450 (Polo 2470mm), length 3450 (3970mm), width 1630 (1680mm), height 1500 (1460mm), front track 1420 (1446mm), tank capacity 35 (45 litres), cargo deck 180 (280 litres), number of seats four (five), weight 800kg (995kg).

What engines will the VW Up have?

• 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol, 60bhp

• 1.0-litre TFSI four-cylinder petrol, 85bhp

• 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrol, 105bhp (from 2012)

• 1.2-litre three-cylinder TDI, 75bhp