Volkswagen has made no secret of its plans to expand on its Up! city car with a whole mess of variations on the theme. In fact, when it unveiled the production version at the Frankfurt show in 2011, it showcased a variety of concept versions as well, and one of them was a soft-roading version called the Cross Up. With three- and five-door versions of the Up already roaming streets in Europe and other markets, along with the Skoda Citigo and Seat Mii versions, Volkswagen has announced the Cross Up for production as well.

The production version, set for debut at Geneva in March, appears to have stayed remarkably true to the concept. The only noticeable addition is the black molding on the lower door panels which complement the wheel arches and lower body cladding that (along with the silver bumper and roof rails) give the Cross Up a more rugged look. The same 74hp 3-cylinder engine and five-speed manual carry over from the existing city car. It rides on new 16" alloys, though VW has made no mention of whether it's made any revisions to the suspension or traction system to back up the Cross Up's rugged styling and updated interior trim.