Volkswagen South Africa has confirmed it is no longer bringing in the Up small hatchback, although stock of certain derivatives is still available locally.

We noticed the Up range listed on VW SA’s website had been trimmed from four derivatives to just two (and noted just 14 units were registered across the country in August 2020) so asked the company about its plans for the city hatch.

The Wolfsburg-based firm’s local division told CARmag.co.za it had stopped ordering the Bratislava-built five-door hatch earlier in 2020, saying it was instead “focusing heavily” on its Polo Vivo hatch line-up as well as its “growing SUV range”.

While the entry-level Take specification and mid-tier Move trim are still listed (for R182 700 and R198 500 respectively), the Beats and Cross variants have been removed from the local website. Before being pulled from the line-up, the Beats and Cross derivatives had both been priced at R214 900.

As a reminder, the Up Beats boasted a 300-watt sound system comprising an eight-channel amplifier, six speakers and a separate subwoofer. It furthermore featured 15-inch “Radial” alloy wheels, “Beats” decals and side-mirror caps in a contrasting colour. The Cross Up, meanwhile, was set apart by black plastic cladding, 16-inch “Cross” alloy wheels, roof rails and silver-painted side-mirror caps.

All Up variants are powered by a naturally aspirated 1,0-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine sending 55 kW and 95 N.m to the front axle via a five-speed manual gearbox.

The Up launched in South Africa in February 2015 in three-door form, with the five-door version coming in May 2016. The range was facelifted in November 2016, with the three-door models falling away. The Up GTI didn’t ever make it to local shores.

Original article from Car