First is the e-up! – which is an all electric variant of the compact city car that Volkswagen will start to build for a mass audience in 2013.

Not to be mistaken with e-up! is eco-up! This vehicle combines “ecofuel” also known as natural gas, and the start/stop BlueMotion Technology from VW, making it one of the greenest cars on the market.

The GT up! is a more powerful GTI variant, able to produce 99 horsepower, and weighs a slight 1984 lbs.

Volkswagen also showed off a four-door / crossover up! at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. VW has teased us with a production version, that may hit dealership lots in two years.

Finally, there’s the up! “azzurra sailing team” edition (yes, in all lower case) – created by Italian designers Giorgetto Giugiaro and Walter de Silva. This compact vehicle has a “nautical-theme” complete with drop-top convertible and lighter paint scheme.

Images: WorldCarFans

Powering up! will be a variety of three-cylinder, 1.0 liter gas engines with BlueMotion tech (which includes stop/start technology) producing 60 bhp and 75 bhp, respectively.

There will also be a natural-gas unit in Europe, offering 68 bhp. The Up/up! comes with an optional City Emergency Braking unit. This “smart system” works at speeds under 18 mph, which can detect impending collisions and apply the vehicles’ brakes automatically.

Up! will be offered in three trim levels – trend, comfort and high. We’ll release more details on each in the coming weeks.

The E-Up! is a front-drive, city car featuring a 60 kW electric motor powered by lithium-ion batteries.

Volkswagen gives the vehicle’s range at about 80 miles and says it can accelerate from 0 to 31 mph in 3.5 seconds. The car has a reported top speed of 84 mph. The car will be a small, two door hatchback, similar to Volkswagen’s Golf/Rabbit.

When the E-Up! arrives in the U.S. in three-to-four years, it will hope to find buyers in large cities and urban areas of the country. Starting prices for the E-Up! will be at around $10,000 to $11,000 USD.

Volkswagen will jump into the competition with one of the lowest prices electric cars to date. Japanese auto makers are producing EV’s around the $15,000 to 22,000 price range.

According to Automobilemag, the German automaker’s current plans still include the electric variant of the Up! compact car coming to North American shores in 2013.

The 2011 VW Beetle seems to be heading in a similar direction as Volkswagen’s Up! concept: small and sporty, with a lowered roof to take on less wind resistance. Of course, if you’re measuring close to 6′ tall you may want to go for a convertible version. 2011 will bring a less curvy/bulky Beetle onto dealer lots, showing off a more sporty look, which will be backed up by what leaked statements from the auto maker call “a wide range of engine options.”

Rumors claim the next generation Volkswagen Beetle will have a two and extended four seater variation, possibly spinning off into two separate car models. A leaked interior shot (below) shows off a flashier dash along with futuristic steering wheel and gauges. Sorry to say there doesn’t seem to be a place around the instrument panel for flowers. Keep you eyes out for more official press drops from VW, and enjoy more of the supposed leaked pictures of their 2011 Beetle below.

Herbie, is that you?

VW states: “The Up! is not a car whose form will become obsolete within a very brief period of time. It shines in its cleverness and yet is made with loving care. And so the Up! is a clear and strong statement for future Volkswagen design.”

Up!’s rear is starting a tradition we will most likely see in many city vehicle concepts – it’s completely transparent, while taillights are high up on the car, so the bike messengers won’t miss you. The VW logo in the rear is behind this see-thru back, and lights up at night…just in case you forget what make the car is. As for the front end, there is still that lovable Beetle-like smiley face grill.

Inside, you have a bit more legroom than your typical mini car, and the dash is laid out with touch screen controls and a fully digital gauges. This may be what future Volkswagen’s look at inside and out.