2012 Volkswagen Beetle Revealed With More Retro Look

[AutoGuide.com]

Volkswagen has just revealed the all-new 2012 Beetle, returning the 'Bug' to its retro-styled ways. You'll have to pardon the poor photos though. Officially that isn't supposed to have debuted yet, but Motor Trend busted the embargo so we're using their grainy pics.

The replacement for the 'New Beetle' the car is set to debut first at the Shanghai Auto Show and then at the 2011 New York Auto Show on Wednesday. Sitting 0.5-inches lower than the previous car, it's also 3.3-inches wider. With a significantly improved interior, it's near-luxury inside and that theme flows throughout with items like bi-xenon headlights and 19-inch wheels.

Continuing to be a front-driver, engine choices are no surprise with the usual selection of gasoline and diesel powered VW mills, including a 200-hp 2.0 TFSI, a standard 170-hp 2.5-liter 5-cylinder and a 140-hp TDI engine with 236 lb-ft of torque and a 29/40-mpg rating. The 2.5-liter engine comes with the choice of a 5-speed stick shift or 6-speed manual, while the turbo gas engine gets either a six-speed stick or six-speed dual-clutch unit and the brand's XDS electronic differential, which first debuted on the 2010 GTI.

More: 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Revealed With More Retro Look on AutoGuide.com

[TennesseeBug]

Above post...LOL! Reported

[IndyTom]

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__________________________________

What does this have to do with Beetle's or tea in China for that matter?

I would say let's put SPAM where it belongs. On a mousetrap so it can catch mice.

[TennesseeBug]

Originally Posted by IndyTom

What does this have to do with Beetle's or tea in China for that matter?

LOL! This made me laugh!!

[VWTBS]

That was 30 seconds of my life down the drain! Stupid spam!

[Pushing Fifty]

Yeah, Here I was, hoping to read something like, "Production issues in Puebla solved, 2012 Beetle sales to skyrocket soon." Instead, I'm like, what the hell?

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by Pushing Fifty

Yeah, Here I was, hoping to read something like, "Production issues in Puebla solved, 2012 Beetle sales to skyrocket soon." Instead, I'm like, what the hell?

Okay, I will make you happy. There were never any production issues in Puebla, 2012 Beetle sales have rocketed to the sky and Pee Wee Herman is resuming his role on Pee Wee's Playhouse

April Fool

[mwatters]

love the new beetle! thanks for sharing this info!

[pdoel]

Originally Posted by Pushing Fifty

Yeah, Here I was, hoping to read something like, "Production issues in Puebla solved, 2012 Beetle sales to skyrocket soon." Instead, I'm like, what the hell?

Why are you so worried about sales? You keep going back and forth on whether or not you want one, and sales of the vehicle seems to be your primary worry.

If you decide to buy one, that's really the only sale that should be of any concern. Who cares what everyone else in the world is doing or buying. If it's the car I wanted, and I was the only sale of that vehicle, who cares?

I have an A3 which don't sell well at all. I get looks all the time, people stop me more asking me what it is, than have every stopped me asking about the NB. It's kind of nice having a niche car that's not all over the place.

[Pushing Fifty]

Originally Posted by pdoel

Why are you so worried about sales? You keep going back and forth on whether or not you want one, and sales of the vehicle seems to be your primary worry.

If you decide to buy one, that's really the only sale that should be of any concern. Who cares what everyone else in the world is doing or buying. If it's the car I wanted, and I was the only sale of that vehicle, who cares?

I have an A3 which don't sell well at all. I get looks all the time, people stop me more asking me what it is, than have every stopped me asking about the NB. It's kind of nice having a niche car that's not all over the place.

I believe I've explained this to you before, but I'll do it again. I love water-cooled Beetles, both the last generation and the 2012+. However, weird or strange as it may be, I want to be assured that whatever car I drive will be around in some form for decades to come. I was very concerned about the slow start of the latest Beetle's sales. As this is the first year of a redesigned, re-skinned Beetle, sales should be exceeding the last year of the previous generation. Now, at last, they are on a pace to do that, but at first, it looked like VW would be lucky to see half the sales of the 2010 model. Translation? At least in my mind? Another death sentence in a few years just like the air-cooled Bug got in 1979. This in turn would decimate the water-cooled Beetle community that I hold so dear. The water-cooled Beetle crowd is a perfect fit for me, because many air-cooled people are perpetually stuck in 1967 while the typical water-cooled VW people are a lot younger than me and into heavy modding. There simply weren't enough 98-10 Beetles sold to create the cult-like following that the original air-cooled Beetles enjoy. Even so, the way I am, I wouldn't have even owned a 1969 Beetle from 2003-2009 if there had never been a New Beetle. I look at the 98-10s and the 12+ as a continuation of the original Bug even though they're totally different cars. To me, they're still Bugs. They just weren't available for sale in the US for 19 years..... Thus, I was overjoyed when VW finally confirmed that the Beetle would live on after 2010. I assumed this car would double the size of the water-cooled Beetle community, and now that sales are finally looking much better, I likewise feel better about buying one. No matter how much I love a particular car, I couldn't buy one if I knew it would become obsolete in 5 years, and the way sales were going the first few of months, I jumped to irrational conclusions and took on a rather glass-is-half-empty outlook by worrying that the latest Beetle could be a flop like the Edsel. I know it's odd, but that's just the way I am. I am one-dimensional, and when my mind is made up about what car I want, I assume I'll keep buying updated versions of whatever that single car is for the rest of my life.

[pdoel]

Sorry, but I just don't see any real valid points in your argument.

The air-cooled Beetle fans are just as strong as they've ever been. The car hasn't been sold here in 33 years, and there are still clubs and groups celebrating it. You can still find parts for them.

The nice thing with the water cooleds is that they all share components. So it's not like if you bought a 2012, and in 10 years it dies, that you'll never be able to get parts for it.

The NB community is strong, but to be honest, hasn't been as strong as it once was. That hasn't changed my love for them.

I don't buy cars because I can have other people to hang around with a car just like it to talk to. I buy a car because it's something I enjoy, and I will receive a lot of pleasure out of.

There are more people in our local VW group who are into MK2 and MK3s than are into MKIV, MKV and MKVI. The death of a model will only kill the fan base if you let it.

As I stated before, sales always struggle when a car first comes out. The Passat sells much better than the Beetle, but so far, I've seen one of the new Passats on the road, whereas I've seen 6-7 of the Beetle.

When the New Beetle hit the streets in 1998 it took me MUCH longer to see one in person than it did for me to see a 2012.

It just seems like you let the sales figures of this car determine whether or not you can be happy with your vehicles and your driving enthusiasm. Seems a bit silly to me.

[Pushing Fifty]

I had a reply all ready to submit, but just like the Tex, if it's too long, they make you log in again. This time, I lost my post! Anyway, I'll keep this short: I like the cameraderie of like-minded people, and in fact, to me, that's the best part of owning a Volkswagen. Back in the day, I really liked Ford Escorts, too, but Escort clubs were lacking.

I also still think that if the modern Beetle dies in a few years, the community will, too. It's not like 21.5 million water-cooled Beetles have been sold. In fact, at the current rate, this wouldn't be achieved until around 2213! However, the entire Beetle community, air and water, should lose the cliques and merge into one happy family.

Finally, I could live with less 2012+ sales than that of the 98-10 generation, as long as VW keeps the Beetle alive. One person was very rude with me, but he did have a point: It very well could be that this time around, VW is looking for higher profits on each Beetle sold, and they probably make more money on fewer loaded 12+ Beetles than on more Base models.

[pdoel]

I don't see VW killing the Beetle just because sales started off slow. Sales of the '98 started off VERY slow, and look how well it did. VW isn't going to put all that money into developing a car, then just kill it because sales started off slow. A lot of research goes into this sort of thing. So I'd say they know what they're doing.

And as such, keep in mind, they listen a lot to their customers. How many posts on the various boards have people complained about the c word? Many were tired of their NBs being called cute. They didn't like that VW killed all the engines, leaving just the 2.5. People have spent fortunes tuning their NBs to get more out of them. VW listened.

And now we have more engine choices, it's definitely manlier, more tunable, and a pretty hot car right from the factory. We talk, they listened.

[Pushing Fifty]

I didn't know that the 98 started off slow with sales. If so, that didn't last for long. At any rate, I'm past my irrational pessimism now. I have a tendency to jump to conclusions prematurely at times.

Still, it will probably be a while before I can get a 21st century Beetle for myself. For the first time in years, my wife and I are about to have no car payments. For now, I will focus on making my 2000 "cute" NB like new. The main thing on my things-to-do list is to have the faded rear hatch and roof repainted to match the rest of the car (Cyber Green), hopefully before this show season begins.

The roof and trunklid are faded to about a Gecko Green color........