The Volkswagen Up is back! And you can push him up…

Compact production Volkswagen Top it was discontinued six months ago, but you can still buy brand new copies from our neighbors to the east. The German company Geparda continues to build them, with one remarkable difference…

Volkswagen Up has been on the market for a long time, twelve years. The A-segmenter was available from 8,000 euros, but it ended up costing 18,000 euros. It is no longer possible for manufacturers to offer cheap hatchbacks. Delivery and security requirements have become very strict for that.

Volkswagen Up for young people

So Geparda will not take over from UP. He caters to a completely different market, that of young drivers. In Germany you can drive on the road at the age of sixteen with a so-called L5e, a three-wheeled motorcycle.

Geparda is not officially a three-wheeled vehicle, but that’s what it looks like to MPs. If you look closely at the rear of the crazy Volkswagen, you will see that the rear wheels are placed very close together.

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People who often visit Germany have probably seen the L5e driving on public roads, in the form of a Fiat 500 with closed rear wheel arches and rear tires in the middle of the car.

Top speed is 111 km/h

In the Netherlands there are also ‘cars’ for young drivers, such as the electric Citroën Ami and the Opel Rocks Electric, but these are 45 km/h. The cheetah has a top speed of no less than 111 km/h. It is powered by a 1.0 MPi engine, which is reduced to 20 hp.

Like a sixteen-year-old you have to be able to handle the transmission, because the Geparda only puts the Volkswagen Up’s five-speed manual gearbox. The wagon weighs 908kg and has been revised down to ensure the car remains stable, including a new stabilizer at the front.

Cheetah Price

Cheparda is not cheap, by the way. As a teenager, or as a parent, you need to have about 20,000 euros in your pocket to be able to buy it. Opel Rocks Electric is certainly less of a car, but it also costs a lot less: 8,699 euros.

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