The five-door version of the Volkswagen Up! has been officially revealed ahead of its European launch in March.

The unveiling comes less than one week after the vehicle's exterior design was previewed in images sourced from the European patent office.

The five-door Up! is in many ways identical to its three-door sibling. The three-door Up! will arrive in Australia late this year, while Volkswagen Australia says it is "absolutely" interested in bringing the five-door here too. VW is expected to confirm its plans for the five-door at a briefing later this week.

Volkswagen says the five-door Up! will be available across Europe by mid-year, and anticipates more than half of all Up! buyers will opt for the new variant.

The five-door Up! gets the 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine already confirmed for the three-door range. It comes in two tunes - 44kW/95Nm and 55kW/95Nm - the former using 4.5 litres of fuel per 100km on the European combined cycle, the latter accelerating from 0-100km/h in 13.2 seconds.

Five model variants will be offered across the European range: Take Up!, Move Up!, High Up!, Black Up! and White Up!.

While it gains two additional doors, the five-door loses the three-door's rising rear window line, substituting it for a less stylised flat sill.

The five-door Up!'s boot is one litre smaller than the three-door (251 litres vs 252 litres), but both expand to 951 litres with the rear seats folded forward. Both versions of the Up! are four-seaters, with room for two in the front and two the back.

Depending on the market, the Up! will be available with automatic emergency braking, a portable touchscreen navigation and infotainment system and Bluetooth phone connectivity, among other features.

The five-door Up! will command a 475-euro ($580) premium over the three-door in Europe.