The ‘up!’ is finished in a wild off-roader taste

Remember the ‘up!’, the compact minimal car that Volkswagen launched in 2012? It has become a popular model alongside the VW Polo because of its easy handling. At the Osaka Auto Messe 2024 (OAM), ‘build.works’ from Okayama Prefecture presented a custom car with a wild off-roader taste based on the small but mighty “up!”.

The ride height is the same as stock!?

While it is said that “the royal road to customization of VW cars lies in lowering”, the ‘up!’ proposed by Buildworks is the so-called lifted-up style. As the name suggests, it was a fascinating customization with a joke about raising the ride height.

When we spoke to the representative, Mr Shiozato, he told us the following story.

“The ride height of this car is the same as the factory one. The custom paint and graphic wrapping, which is our specialty, and the inch-up tires and wheels create the illusion that the ride height has been increased.”

“The inner side of the wheel arches and the inner panel were painted to give the impression of an upstyle look and to make the clearance between the wings and tires look wider. As for the ride height, in fact, for everyday use, it is easier to get in and out of the car and more user-friendly in normal conditions.”

By the way, the idea of a wild offloader based on ‘up!’ is interesting. It’s a style that’s in vogue these days, so I’m curious to see the parts that will add to its brave and cool style.