After 12 years on the market, the Volkswagen Up has ceased production, leaving the Polo as the smallest model in the company’s lineup. The last Volkswagen Up was manufactured at the VW Group’s factory in Bratislava, Slovakia. However, remaining units are still available from UK dealerships.

The Volkswagen Up was introduced in 2011 as the successor to the Volkswagen Fox. It initially had a starting price of £8256, making it one of the most affordable cars on the market. Over time, the starting price increased to over £15,000.

Throughout its production run, the Volkswagen Up offered a range of powertrain options. When it first launched, customers could choose between a 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine with 59bhp or 74bhp. In 2016, a facelift brought a turbocharged variant with 89bhp.

In 2014, Volkswagen introduced the electric Volkswagen e-Up with an 18.7kWh battery and a claimed range of 161 miles. From 2019, a larger 32.2kWh battery was offered, increasing the range to 161 miles, surpassing some of its newer competitors.

Earlier this year, the Volkswagen Up GTI, a high-performance variant of the Up, was also discontinued after being temporarily pulled from the market. The GTI featured 113bhp, a sportier design, and a six-speed manual gearbox.

The Up was part of the Volkswagen Group’s New Small Family (NSF) vehicle series, along with the Seat Mii and Skoda Citigo, both of which have already been phased out.

With the Up discontinued, the Volkswagen Polo now serves as the smallest model in Volkswagen’s UK lineup. However, there have been discussions about potentially removing the Polo from the lineup in the future due to new Euro 7 regulations and replacing it with a small electric vehicle, possibly the ID 2.

As a replacement for the Up, Volkswagen is planning to introduce an ultra-compact electric city car called the Volkswagen ID 1 within the next five years. The ID 1 is expected to have a starting price of less than £17,000.