VW Promises "More Courageous" Design / New Beetle Redesign Still Go

[Fl_bug]

Originally Posted by Fl_bug

According to my September 2010 Motortrend Magazine:

Volkswagen New Beetle 2012
Base Price Range: $18,200-$26,000. Body Type: Coupe,Conv.

WHATS NEW: The iconic New Beetle returns for the 2012 model year likely a more masculine body. Expect more rear seat legroom (and headroom, we hope) than the outgoing 2010 car.

The car will be built on the platform for the new-for-2011 Jetta, so expect the new beetle to adopt similar front styling. A diesel engine [ <-- me] will return as a powertrain option.

Cool Fact: VW wants the New Beetle to function as a Halo Car.

SUM UP: AN ICON, FINALLY REDESIGNED.

Base Engine: 2.0L/115-hp DOHC I-4*

OPT ENGINES: 2.0L/ 140-hp DOHC t-diesel I-4; 2.5L/170-hp- DOHC I-5

Drivetrain: Front engine, FWD

Transmissions: 6M; 6-sp twin-cl auto

0-60MPH 8.0-9.7sec*

EPA ECON CITY/HWY 21-30/30-42mpg*

Basic Warranty: 3yrs/ 36,000 miles

*= Estimated
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __

My take on this is excitement! I can believe Vw wants to make the Beetle a Halo car. For something as old as it is, it does sell better than the Vw Golf/Rabbit & GTI but not combined.

If Vw Does use the 2011 Jetta as a basis, i would say to expect the base model to start near the Jetta's $15,500 base. But that model would be basic basic including the ancient & decrepit 2.0 that was on the first bugs 12years ago in additon to drum brakes and a few other things.

Motortrend has been wrong before, but only a FEW times in the 4 years I have been a subscriber.

Originally Posted by antonym

The Fiat 500 is looking pretty impressive. VW will have to come good with a economical cheap beetle to trump it.

Agreed, but if my LATEST Motortrend magazine is correct, the Next Beetle will be larger and on the 2011 Jetta mk6 platform.

To me, that translates to Vw bringing over the Polo. Using the larger Jetta6 platform leaves plenty of space for Vw to bring in a Polo polo under the Bug.

I just don't see hw Vw will pull off having a Jetta Coupe, a Bug, a Golf GTI and a Polo GTI....

[Pushing Fifty]

The Polo would be an ideal entry-level VW here in the States, especially in light of the fact that the company has their sights on dramatically increasing sales in this market. If priced low enough but still profitable, the Polo would cut into sales of cars like Fiestas, Accents, Aveos, Aerios, etc. Bring it!

[swift801]

i would buy a polo! but they're ruining the shape of our car. make it look more like a tt if you wanna ruin it. atleast thats a good look to go for.

[TrudysMom]

Why would they make a Beetle look like a Polo. Polo just looks like other cars.

[Chaz1138]

Me, too. The Polo is barely distinguishable from the Golf/Rabbit.

[swift801]

no.i was saying i would buy a polo. but the 2011 beetle. the roof line is terrible. our cars are round, because thats the way hitler intended them to be.lol

[Pushing Fifty]

It was never suggested that the Polo would replace the current NB. Instead, VW should bring the Polo here to the US AND have a New Beetle.

[Chaz1138]

*LOL* I guess I got your commens crossed up with Trudysmoms comment.

Originally Posted by swift801

no.i was saying i would buy a polo. but the 2011 beetle. the roof line is terrible. our cars are round, because thats the way hitler intended them to be.lol

[Pushing Fifty]

Actually, as someone pointed out many, many posts ago, The current New Beetle's roofline is much MORE rounded than those of the original air-cooleds. Go to a VW show and look at a NB parked next to a classic air-cooled model. On the older car, the roofline is quite similar to the most popular speculation of the upcoming model. It just looks a bit strange with the rest of the NB's styling lines, (at least for now, until it grows on us.) I think it will look fine as long as it's not as flat as a Mini Cooper's roof.

[swift801]

yeah but look at the overall size of the air cooled. it was alot smaller car. our cars are pretty bulky. just doesn't seem like it because its not boxed. only reason i'm excited for the new ones is because means more parts interchange. cosmeticly it might be different, but i bet almost all the parts will interchange.

[Dakota]

I have seen several sites and such showing the next beetle to look like the ragster . Personally , I hope it doesn't look like it , and the come up with a whole new design . Of course , when you are talking about a beetle , you will still have to remain fairly consistant with the basic shape of the car .I do think , though ,that there is a lot of creative design directions that this car can go . I can't wait to see what they come up with!

As far as a smaller car goes , the Polo would be a decent small car , but has anybody heard anything on the concept car Up! ? I heard at one point that it was going to be a reality , but then haven't heard any thing since .

[marvins_dad]

Haven't noticed these links...not that I can read them...anyone want to take a shot at the language and translation?

Might just be some guy's guess at a retro restyling.

Irmao do Decio: O vôo do besouro

Irmao do Decio: New Herbie

Irmao do Decio: Novo Fusca Conversível

[Palafox]

someone went thru a lot a trouble to create those, I thinks it's from Brazil

[Pushing Fifty]

Originally Posted by Palafox

someone went thru a lot a trouble to create those, I thinks it's from Brazil

It must be in Portugese, but I LOVE those renderings! This is VERY retro, going back to the styling cues of Ferdinand Porsche's prototypes in the early and mid-1930s. Still, I don't think that will be the Beetle III's look. I'd love it if it were, though.

[NewBeeLoo]

From European car magazines ..

Volkswagen New Beetle 2011 - Enfin la relève - Actualités - L'Automobile Magazine

VW Beetle in Genf: Neuer VW Beetle kommt 2011 - auto motor und sport

[marvins_dad]

Not horrible.
Don't mind the front, love the chop! Love the mirrors!
The rear end is a little wonky.
The flattening of the hood and boot is a little harsh feeling.

[antonym]

Did some translation via software ... here is one ..

New VW Beetle comes in 2011

Longer than expected VW needs to put on the market the successor of the shortly running out Beetle. Although the second generation is already introduced on the Geneva Salon in the spring, the next New Beetle according to the information from auto motor and sport comes only in summer, 2011 on the market.

With it there will be a year no Beetle. The new Beetle we renounce the extreme ball form and looks thanks to a lower window line and more level roof more dynamic.

Platform comes from the gulf

Inside the shorter dashboard avoids the van feeling of the predecessor. Technically the second generation is based as announced on the gulf VI and takes over the impulses from 1.2 TSI petrol-driven car up to the 2-liter-TDI with Switch or double coupling gear. After the sedan VW also wants to present a material roof-convertible.

[antonym]

Another translation .... Not very good but you get the gist of what is being said...

Volkswagen New Beetle 2011 Finally relay After 11 years of career, New Beetle is broadly the age old of retirement. But the relay will again make wait one year.

379 cars sold during the first six months of the year: such is the thin result of New Beetle, which arrives out of breath at the end of long course. In effect, faced with the mediocre commercial performance, VW deferred before replacing it, what contributes hardly to ameliorate things. Today, Cox of modern time is surrounded by vehicles in fashion neo-imitating the styles of an earlier period more recent, that it is the Tiny or Fiat 500. And Citroën DS3, Alfa Romeo MiTo and Audi A1 also divert a party of the customers. But from the living room of Geneva 2011, in spring fellow, VW will introduce the future grind, the Very New Beetle, in a way.

With her look everything in embonpoint, her will remain recognizable between one thousand. But with proportions more râblées, enlarged ways and his lowered line of roof, it would leave title definitely of " whooping cough of the gay community " in Fiat 500. This sports claim, already recalled by study Ragster in 2005 (third picture), is underlined by its more modern technology, borrowed in Golf. With her back train multiarm and her box with double clutch, it really puts forward receivable arguments. Agreed, motors – of 1.2 TSI until 2.0 TDI – benefit from technological standard nowadays in force to VW, even if New Beetle will always go out of Mexican assembly lines, to Puebla. Moreover, the very deep plate of edge of the actual model should be replaced by a cockpit which recalls the world of monospaces less. And the chest is meant at the same time to be vaster and to be more approachable. One year after the marketing of the sedan, which will intervene in autumn, 2011 in Europe, a convertible with flexible hood will come to supplement the range.

[TheClunker]

Originally Posted by marvins_dad

Haven't noticed these links...not that I can read them...anyone want to take a shot at the language and translation?

Might just be some guy's guess at a retro restyling.

Irmao do Decio: O vôo do besouro

Irmao do Decio: New Herbie

Irmao do Decio: Novo Fusca Conversível

Those pictures look better than the current NB that's being sold ... THAT'S what it should have looked like from the start.

[Chaz1138]

YYYYYEOOWZAAA!!!

If this is correct, the new TDI will have a tad more than 1.5 times the hp of the old one. I got to test drive one of the old 90 hp ones when I was looking for a replacement for Anette and it had some serious cojones.

Beware, with 140 hp diesel in a car like the NB2 will get you A LOT of traffic tickets! *LOL*