Previously speculated on and now at last revealed! Volkswagen's up! minicar will be switched from a rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive layout to a front-engine, front-wheel-drive arrangement when it goes on sale in 2011. According to VW CEO Martin Winterkorn, "Our engineers favoured a rear engine and fought until the end for that solution." Unfortunately, the rear-engine layout had to be dropped due to cost constraints and the limitations it imposed on passenger space.Volkswagen originally planned to launch the up! in Europe sometime in 2010, but the switch in format has bumped back its sale date by four- to five-months, meaning it will likely hit showrooms in early 2011. While a few months wouldn't normally be a big deal, the Toyota IQ is set to debut in dealers early next year and the Fiat Topolino will launch late in 2009, putting VW back by almost two years.Volkswagen plans to launch the up! in three versions: a hatchback, MPV and saloon. The manufacturer expects sales in Europe and emerging markets to hit approximately 500,000 units per year, although a decision has yet to be reached on whether the up! will make it to the U.S.