Following a report published a month ago, Volkswagen has confirmed the e-up! is back on sale in Europe. Going up against the Dacia Spring, the affordable electric city car carries a starting price of €26,895 in Germany where the ID.3 begins at €36,960. Consequently, the pint-sized EV is about €10,000 cheaper than the MEB-based compact hatchback.
To date, more than 80,000 units have been sold and many are happy to hear the VW e-up! is officially back. Previously, delivery times rose to as much as 16 months, prompting the company to stop taking new orders at the end of 2020. Even though no new orders were accepted in 2021, production of the diminutive EV continued, with 30,800 delivered in its domestic market last year. That made it the second best-selling car without a combustion engine in Germany.
VW is happy to report it has cleared out the backlog and is now accepting new orders for the e-up! Style Plus. In Germany, customers are eligible for a €9,570 discount courtesy of the environmental and innovation premium. That brings down the asking price to just €17,325, thus making the small EV ideal for cheap zero-emission motoring around town.
Power is provided by a single electric motor developing 83 hp (61 kW) and 210 Nm (155 lb-ft). It has a battery pack with a net capacity of 32.2 kWh, providing enough juice for a maximum range in the WLTP cycle of 258 kilometers (160 miles). You need to wait 60 minutes to charge the battery to 80% provided you’re charging at 40 kW. Alternatively, it takes a little over four hours to complete the task at a charging power of 7.2 kW.
As standard, the 2022 VW e-up! Style Plus rides on 15-inch alloy wheels and comes nicely equipped with a leather steering wheel and automatic climate control. You also get lane departure warning along with a plug & play functionality to turn your smartphone into the vehicle’s infotainment system. There are several paint schemes to choose from, including two-tone finishes with a contrasting black roof.
Sold exclusively with a five-door body style, the reborn e-up! can be optionally fitted with larger 16-inch wheels, but bear in mind this will have a negative impact on range. At an additional cost, the Winter Package adds heated front seats, electrically adjustable and heated mirrors as well as body-colored door handles and mirror caps.
There’s also a Comfort Package encompassing automatic headlights with Coming & Leaving Home function, along with automatic windscreen wipers and height-adjustable front seats. You can even order a Smoker’s Package with a cigarette lighter and a removable ashtray. Another option is to get four extra folding keys.
Initially available in Germany, the 2022 VW e-up! Style Plus will be gradually reintroduced in other European markets.
Source: Volkswagen
