All about autos: Beetle

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Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Volkswagen Kills The Beetle, For Now

5:04 PM egaoart No comments

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The Volkswagen New Beetle launched with great fanfare over a decade ago, reviving the classic Beetle name from the company's history. Yesterday at the LA Auto Show, however, VW sent the car packing.

The company hosted a press conference where they announced that 2010 would be the car's final year. To commemorate the moment, VW released a "Final Edition" special model at the show, expected to sell only 3000 units in a unique paint scheme. Half of that number will be hardtop coupes while the other half will be convertibles.

While most of the vehicle is the same as the New Beetle you could have purchased over the last few years, this new edition comes with a sport suspension and unique 17-inch wheels. The hatchback will cost $20,240 while the convertible starts at $27,170.

Retro Fabulous

The New Beetle launched in 1998 to incredible amounts of media and consumer attention. It caught (or, more likely, started) the wave of retro hype that automakers fixated on during the millenium. Cars like the Ford Thunderbird arrived on the scene hoping to curry the same favor that VW found with its new-age Beetle.

The next Beetle, likely to launch in 2011 as a 2012 model, is expected to shed its cutesy, happy-go-lucky design aesthetic in favor of a more aggressive look in concert with VW's Golf, with which it will share a platform.

The Beetle is dead, long live the Beetle!

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New VW Beetle from £16,490

3:00 AM egaoart No comments

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The new Volkswagen Beetle will cost from £16,490 and is available to order now. Three trim levels and two engines are offered from launch – a 104bhp 1.2-litre TSI and 1.4-litre TSI producing 158bhp - with two more engines to follow.

Trim levels include Beetle, Design and Sport, with air conditioning and DAB radio standard across the range. Entry-level cars are available with a 1.2-litre unit and seven-speed DSG transmission only.

See a pic of the new Volkswagen Beetle

Mid-spec Design models - offered with DSG or a six-speed manual ‘box in 1.2 and 1.4-litre guise - add 17-inch alloys, Bluetooth and iPod connectivity, front fog lights and a multifunction leather-wrapped steering wheel.

Range topping Sport versions include 18-inch alloys, tinted windows, cruise and climate control, sports seats, parking sensors and gloss black door mirror housings. A six-speed manual ‘box mated to the more powerful engine is only available here.

Keyless entry, sat-nav, a panoramic sunroof and bi-xenon headlights are available as options as is VW's 400W Fender sound pack, which costs £495.

VW claims that 1.2-litre models mated to a seven-speed DSG ‘box will achieve 48mpg and 137g/km Co2 (putting it in tax band E), with 1.4-litre, manual variants capable of 42.8mpg and 153g/km Co2 (tax band G).

Transmission dependent, the 1.2-litre is offered in Beetle or Design trim from £16,490, with 1.4-litre cars available in Design or Sport trim from £19,470. Compared with the outgoing model, prices of the new car are up by around £3000. The current 1.4-litre Luna model costs from £13,345, rising to £18,715 for the top-of-the-range turbocharged 1.8-litre version.

Later in 2012, a 104bhp 1.6-litre TDI BlueMotion Technology, 138bhp 2.0-litre TDI and 2.0-litre TSI with 197bhp join the new line-up along with the option of a six-speed manual gearbox for the 1.2-litre TSI model.