Round the world in 14 weeks: before their group appearance at the 2007 Bologna Motor Show, Volkswagen sent the New Small Family on a whistle-stop tour around the world. Today it’s showdown in Italy as the three Up! concept vehicles are revealed side by side for the first time as ambassadors of a new range and as a family.

“For both my team and for me, it was a dream to design these concept vehicles" confirmed Walter de Silva, Chief Designer of Volkswagen Group, at the start of the press conference, “because these cars embody the emergence of a new era.

Anyone looking at the New Small Family will immediately see how friendly and neat these Volkswagens are. Cars of this sort are fun. No explanation is needed - they speak for themselves.”

Before their joint debut in Bologna, Volkswagen sent the New Small Family on a whistle-stop tour around the world, starting at the IAA International Motor Show in Frankfurt on 10 September with the two-door Up!. Just six weeks later, the larger Space Up! microvan made its debut in Tokyo – they impressively demonstrate how every millimetre of space can be exploited using intelligent packaging while at the same time creating an emotional design. Twenty days later and 9,000 air kilometres further eastwards, Los Angeles was presented with the third variant of the New Small Family – the zero-emission Space Up! Blue van.

The response was extremely positive all around the globe. That was perhaps also “because every Up! also demonstrates commitment to protecting our environment” according to Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Board Member with responsibility for Technical Development at Volkswagen. “After all, extremely clean petrol and diesel engines and electric motors will be working in the backs of these cars.”