Surf's up dude! Based on the Up city car, this concept car is a buggy for the 21st century.
VW reinvents the beach buggy
September 13 2011 at 03:00pm
By Jason Woosey
In many ways, Volkswagen's new Up city car is meant to be a spiritual successor to the original Beetle - even if they didn't end up putting the engine in the back as was originally planned.
It's fitting, then, that just like the Beetle spawned the venerable beach buggy, the Up now lends its innards to a modern buggy - and one that already has us envisioning balmy beachside cruises despite the fact that it's officially just a concept vehicle.
Of course, this 'Buggy Up' concept is a lot more sophisticated than those fibreglass creations that sprung up in California in the '60s (even becoming a hit in coastal regions of our country) although the essential open format is still in place.
For starters, this concept is made from advanced, lightweight steels and its somewhat cheeky exterior styling is completely distinct from that of the Up city car that this buggy shares its chassis with. The buggy is also 44mm longer, 31mm wider and 190mm lower than the Up.
Like the original buggies, an open, door-less cabin is the order of the day and the cabin is completely waterproof, right down to the drains in the floor and in the neoprene-coated shell seats. Should it be a prolonged downpour, however, you'd be able to erect a sail between the windscreen and roll bar.
VW even managed to design a waterproof infotainment system, which also sports an iPod/iPhone dock and the entire module (including speakers) can be removed when you arrive at a beach party and no one else bothered to bring music along.
While beach buggies were never known for their safety credentials, the Buggy Up sports extensive body reinforcements and a sturdy roll bar behind the two seats to make up for the lack of doors and a roof.
Just my opinion 
