Production of the Volkswagen Up was stopped at the end of 2023
- The Volkswagen Up which succeeded in 2011 to the old Volkswagen Lupo (produced in Europe) and Volkswagen Fox (imported from Brazil) was a small A-segment sedan available in three or five doors, and manufactured in Slovakia (Bratislava). Its production was definitively stopped in November 2023. First available with a thermal engine, it was then available in a battery electric version from 2016, but its high price did not helps its distribution. In total, a volume of 1,215,179 units was produced on the Bratislava site (Slovakia) in twelve years according to Inovev, an average of 100,000 units per year, not counting the several tens of thousands of units manufactured in Brazil for the local market. The battery electric versions represented less than 10% of the total volume over 12 years (but up to 25% for 2023 alone).
- The success of this "entry-level" car was ephemeral because from 2013, its sales began to decline and this decline has practically not stopped since that date, undoubtedly because there was no demand for such a model or that the carmaker was reluctant to sell such a model (because margins were too low).
- The Volkswagen Up will, however, have a replacement, since Volkswagen plans to launch a battery electric A-segment car around 2026-2027. This vehicle could have been designed in cooperation with Renault but will ultimately be designed with the help of a Chinese carmaker. Renault has made a similar decision regarding its future Twingo, another battery electric A-segment car, since it should be designed with a Chinese partner. Chinese industry could gradually become the prime contractor for entry-level battery electric European models.