Looks like a smile, doesn’t it? VW sure thinks it’ll put a smile on the faces of European buyers in the market for a small car.

It’s not necessarily the size that matters in this little “bugger”, it’s the fact that VW went back to its design roots: rear engine, baby!

Now, I know what you’re thinking: Is there anything really special about this car? Computer says “No”. But it sure is cute! And including in a 2+2 seating package is a nice feature, creating a somewhat bearable interior space. Compared to the FourTwo, this is a limo.

The proportion is relatively nice. Very short overhangs (now somewhat of a visual requirement for small cars) and prominent wheel arches, although they blend into the bodyside nicely. The chamfer utilized around the DLO could be dropped, allowing it to fit into more of the current Golf styling. The silhouette is very modern VW: geometric curves and accelerated lines. We can’t help but look at this vehicle and think, “This is a MyFast with wheels”.

The rear of this vehicle is, uh, awkward. An absolutely huge glass panel makes one think “minivan” or “robot vacuum cleaner”. We’ll have to wait to see what VW does with that down the road.

The graphic break-up of the vehicle is fine, albeit the front appears very heavy-handed. Thick lines & wide-gaps are found amid a clean surface. The headlamps look promising, possible moving VW into a new aesthetic direction for future designs.

While not the most unique vehicle or proportion, it definitely is a VW. The rear engine, front storage is a great throwback to VWs of the past, and the idea of a true baby-VW is intriguing, since ‘Wagon has recently been shooting for that high-end market that Audi already has. Word on the street is that the production up! may not only come to Europe, but the US as well.

It would provide good competition to the Smart crowd.