Volkswagen confirms five-door Up! on its way

But at an expo packed with countless exciting supercars on display, a humble vehicle like the Up! could easily have been overshadowed. So VW didn't just bring one car, it brought a dozen or so – and keeping them fresh was quite an accomplishment when you consider that the production version is only available (initially, at least) in one body style. But that's about to change.

With the show now behind us, Volkswagen has now confirmed that the Up! will be available later next year as a five-door model to join the three-door unveiled in Frankfurt. So what can we expect? Sneaky as VW is, they've already showed us with the Cross Up! concept that was mixed in with the batch of otherwise three-door (or entirely doorless) show cars displayed at its sprawling show stand at the Messe.

The concept's five-door shape – including a straighter shoulder-line instead of the upward kink in the three-door – will carry over from the Cross Up! but the off-road bits (like the beefed-up bumpers and wheel arch extensions) likely won't. At least not on the standard five-door Up!, though there's no telling what variants VW could squeeze out in the future.