Could this be the next generation 2012 VW Beetle! That is what artist David Cardoso thinks.
Showing posts with label 2012 vw beetle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2012 vw beetle. Show all posts
Spy Photo of 2012 VW Beetle, One of Oprah’s Favorite Things
Hear that? It’s the sound of a room of men and women (mostly women) screaming and hyperventilating after Oprah Winfrey told her studio audience that each one of them would receive a new 2012 Volkswagen Beetle, a car that won’t be released until next year.
Volkswagen isn’t revealing what the newer New Beetle looks like. The “Oprah” audience was allowed to see only a silhouette line of the car and Ms. Winfrey’s reaction to the design (in a video clip showing her as she saw the car for the first time). But thanks to Brenda Priddy, a spy photographer who seeks out prototype cars before designs are made public, we’re able to give the lucky audience members a glimpse of what they can expect. (See above.)
Oprah selected the Beetle as one of the items in her annual “Favorite Things” show, the second part of which aired on Monday. The occasion was particularly momentous because it was the last “Favorite Things” show, billed as Oprah’s Ultimate Favorite Things 2010. Ms. Winfrey will end “The Oprah Winfrey Show” next May and start her own cable channel, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.
VW held a conference call Monday morning to talk about the marketing deal. Jonathan Browning, chief executive of VW North America, offered that Oprah had approached the company and said “the Beetle was one of her favorite things.”
Mr. Browning added that the Beetle would come with a TDI engine option, which would also be offered on the Beetle Cabriolet. He revealed few other details, other than calling the car “sporty” and “sleek.”
In 2004, Oprah gave everyone in her audience a new Pontiac G6. But a few days later, after the screaming and mad hand-clapping had subsided, it came out that the winners had to pay tax of about $7,000 on the gift. This time around, VW said it would pay “all taxes and fees” for the recipients.
NEW AND FUTURE CARS: 2009 / 2012 Volkswagen New Beetle - Sneak Preview 2008
At first glance, a second-generation New Beetle doesn't make a lot of sense. After all, Volkswagen's German masters never wanted to build the current one. (The original air-cooled Bug isn't remembered as fondly over there as it is here.) The animosity was such that VW's U.S. designers worked on it in secret, and it was only after their Concept 1 was slipped quietly onto the Detroit auto show floor in 1994 and met with an explosive public response that management agreed to build the car. Even so, Germans look down on it as a girl's car, a Golf with inferior packaging. So why do a follow-up? Because the New Beetle finds about 50,000 North American buyers per year, and VW isn't prepared to walk away from those sales. The Ragster concept from the 2005 Detroit show provides a window into the thinking for the convertible version. Both the coupe and the convertible again will be based on the front-engine/front-wheel-drive chassis of the Golf (Rabbit).
Not only is Volkswagen readying a replacement for the New Beetle (left), the company is also developing a second Beetle model (above) that will hew even more closely to the iconic original. It is part of the proposed rear-engine small-car family previewed by last fall's Up! show cars. The baby Beetle will be between the two-door and four-door Up! in size, and it likely will use a 750-cc two-cylinder gasoline engine and a 1.0-liter three-cylinder in both gasoline and diesel form, the top performer being a 125-hp unit mated to a dual-clutch transmission. The chassis will feature inexpensive independent suspension systems front and rear. Disc brakes will be offered only in select markets, and power steering will be an option at best. Sounds like a real Beetle, all right.
Weekend classic car shows
Photo credit: David Fluhrer
Saturday, Sept. 24: Corvette Car Show presented by LI Corvette Owners Assn.; 9 a.m.-3 p.m., spectators free; Stony Brook Village Center, Main St.; information: www.wmho.org .
Saturday, Sept. 24-Sunday, Sept. 25: Custom Car, Truck & Motorcycle Show; 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m., spectators $8; LI MacArthur Airport, 100 Arrivals Ave., Ronkonkoma; information: www.convoytruck.com.
2012 Volkswagen Beetle: Retro cool, modern comfort
There is an undeniable appeal to a nostalgia ride, whether it be a Mini Cooper, a new Fiat 500 or the car that really started it all: the Volkswagen New Beetle.
Now, the 2012 VW Beetle has received a much-needed update. The result is a more sophisticated coupe that's also a better daily driver.
Though the Beetle -- dropping "New" from its name -- is high on style and comfort, the engine is particularly loud, disrupting an otherwise pleasant driving experience.
Style
There is perhaps no car more iconic than the Beetle. Maybe the Jeep Wrangler is as identifiable, but no other car has been so loved that it spawned a childhood pastime like slugging a sibling in the arm at the sheer sight of one on the road.
The 2012 is a seamless transition from the New Beetle that debuted to wide acclaim in 1998. Hard edges now replace rounded shapes on the front bumper; a steeper windshield adds more blockiness; and a higher belt line means narrower windows and a sleeker profile. The rear is still as curvy as ever, though, with wild taillights finishing the look.
VW makes no apologies for the sharper design, saying it is deliberately more masculine.
Inside, the integrated flower vase is gone, but it won't be missed in the high-style layout. A typical two-tone interior color scheme, like tan seating with a black dashboard, is accented by piano black along the doors and dash. That trim can be replaced with white or red lacquer accents -- to match the exterior color -- on certain trim levels.
The elegantly done gauge cluster is unique to the Beetle. The three gauges fit the shape of the car better than the wider, two-gauge cluster found in the Jetta and Passat. Materials quality is definitely appropriate for the car's price; it's much more akin to the new Passat's higher-caliber interior than to the Jetta's, which aims at entry-level buyers and costs thousands of dollars less.
The front seats are comfortable, with plenty of support, but I found them a bit narrow for my back and shoulders. I assume smaller occupants will be more comfortable. You'll also have to be smaller to enjoy the tight confines of the backseat. This is to be expected in most coupes, though, and while the specifications don't suggest it, there certainly seems to be more room inside the Beetle than you'll find in tinier competitors like the Fiat 500 and Mini Cooper.
Performance
If you're buying the Beetle for its style but want affordability, you'll want to opt for the 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine; that version starts at $20,895 with an automatic. It's a competent powertrain, but the engine buzzes loudly, intruding into the cabin even during modest acceleration. The six-speed automatic transmission is simply adequate. A manual base model will be released in 2012 and will start at $18,995.
The base engine's 170 horses get you to highway speeds with assurance but not exhilaration, while steering is a bit vague. The brakes are above average. Does this sound like a ringing endorsement? It shouldn't to performance fans, but most buyers will appreciate the Beetle's very comfortable ride, airy cabin, and lack of road and wind noise -- especially considering the wind was extreme most of the time I tested this car.
The 2012's addition of more than 3 inches of width means there's more stability when taking sweeping off-ramps, along with more room between front occupants. But it doesn't feel nimble like a Mini, which is 5 inches narrower.
The biggest negative is the loud engine and subpar mileage, rated 22/29 mpg city/highway with the automatic. The Mini Cooper gets 28/36 mpg with an automatic, while the Fiat 500 gets 27/34 mpg.
Upgrade to the Beetle Turbo versus the 2.5L and you'll be making an investment in driving enjoyment. For the extra $3,600 -- no small sum -- the turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder offers spritely acceleration, snappier handling, a Sport mode that actually feels sporty, and a warbling engine noise that sounds welcoming. (It's still too loud, though.)
The 200-horsepower turbo doesn't seem like much of an upgrade on paper, but teamed with a dual-clutch six-speed automatic transmission, this car far outpaces the base model.
The Turbo doesn't even give up much ride comfort for the added fun quotient, and it gets better mileage: 22/30 mpg.
Performance junkies still won't find the Beetle Turbo to be enough for them, despite its limited-slip differential for better handling. That's why VW sells a GTI version of its Golf hatchback. For those interested in the Beetle mystique, the Turbo delivers just enough.
A diesel Beetle will be released sometime in 2012, with estimated mileage of 29/40 mpg.
Features and pricing
The base Beetle, with a starting price of $18,995 with a five-speed manual transmission, won't go on sale at the model's launch, and VW is not advertising it yet; it's expected next year. When 2012 Beetle sales begin this fall, the least expensive version will be the next higher trim level, called the Beetle L, at $19,795.
When they arrive in 2012, base Beetles will come with 17-inch alloy wheels, power windows with one-touch up and down, cloth seats, cruise control, 50/50-split folding rear seats, a trip computer and an eight-speaker stereo.
The L adds leatherette (faux leather) seating, heated front seats, a second glove box, Bluetooth and a media interface for digital accessories like iPods and smartphones. Automatic-transmission models start at $20,895. A base Mini Cooper with an automatic is $20,750.
Instead of separate options, VW creates trim levels. The next one up, the 2.5L with Sunroof, goes for $22,295 with the manual, $23,395 with the automatic. It adds a large panoramic sunroof that makes an already bright cabin even more open. It also includes a center armrest, a leather steering wheel with controls for the trip computer and stereo, keyless entry, push-button start, a touch-screen radio and three months of Sirius Satellite Radio.
The Beetle L with Sunroof, Sound and Navigation is $24,095 with the manual and $25,195 with the automatic. It adds 18-inch wheels, a navigation system and a premium Fender stereo.
I tested the Fender system with my iPhone, streaming music from Spotify, and it worked well. Sound quality is good, and there's plenty of bass when you want it. The navigation system and interface are a tad quirky, and there will be a learning curve if you're coming from another system. Even though it looks like a portable Garmin nav system, the inputs and controls are very different.
A similarly equipped automatic Mini Cooper is $25,750, and it can be had only with 17-inch wheels.
The Beetle Turbo starts with the features of the Beetle L at $23,395 with a manual and $24,495 with the DSG automatic transmission. It adds 18-inch wheels, alloy pedals, fog lights, gloss-black exterior mirrors, glossy black interior trim, sport seats with upgraded cloth, and a leather shift knob.
The Turbo's uplevel trims vary slightly from the L's. Next up is a Beetle Turbo with Sunroof and Sound that goes for $26,395 with the manual, $27,495 with the DSG. It gets the same extras as the L's Sunroof package, plus the Fender premium stereo.
The top trim is the Beetle Turbo with Sunroof, Sound and Navigation, which mirrors the L options but adds real leather seats and leather trim on the doors and dash. It costs $27,995 with the manual and $29,095 with the DSG.
Safety
At this time, the 2012 Beetle has not been crash-tested by either the federal government or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The Beetle comes standard with four-wheel-disc brakes, stability control and side curtain airbags for front and rear passengers.
Beetle in the market
At first glance, the Beetle seems like an oddity. Do shoppers want another nostalgia-laden two-door hatchback? But the car's high-quality interior and style, plus its competitive price, mean it can go toe-to-toe with the Mini Cooper, offering a more civilized driving experience -- if not as much fun behind the wheel.
Snapshot:
Starting MSRP $18,995--$24,950
MPG
City: 22
Highway: 29 -- 30
Available Engines
200-hp, 2.0-liter I-4 (premium)
170-hp, 2.5-liter I-5 (regular gas)
Transmissions
6-speed manual w/OD
6-speed auto-shift manual w/OD and auto-manual
6-speed automatic w/OD and auto-manual
5-speed manual w/OD
New or Notable
* Redesigned for 2012
* Gas or diesel power
* Manual or automatic
* Optional navigation system
What We Like
* Retro design influences
* Interior quality
* Diesel fuel economy
What We Don't
* Base engine gas mileage
* Folded backseat not flat with cargo floor
2012 VW Beetle ads open with fist bump for male buyers
By Brian Garland
All that aside, Drive On had seat time in the 2012 recently and thinks it does deserve a broader look by folks (including guys) looking for a fun coupe that doesn't break the bank (about $19K with shipping to start).
A full Test Drive review is coming Friday. But we can tell you the car is greatly improved -- upgraded interior, finish and details -- and is fun to drive, even in its tamer, non-turbo form. It's now stylish rather than cute, but still retro-cool -- we like the body-color dash panel that evokes the Beetle of yore. The 2.5-liter five adds 20 horsepower (now 170) and the 2.0 turbo returns with 200 horses. Mileage is up, too: 22 city, 31 highway with manual. A 40 mpg diesel is due next year.
One marketing nit: The last Beetle was officially the New Beetle. So VW has taken to calling the 2012 Beetle not the "new Beetle" but "the 21st-century Beetle." Maybe, but the New Beetle only rolled out in 1998 and spent a decade of its life as the first 21st-century Beetle.
2012 VW Beetle Small Car
Shockingly, regardless of a insane (non-U.S.), VR6-powered RSi model along with a midcycle encounter elevate, the hype surrounding the brand new Beetle definitely died down more than the previous couple of many years, and also the automobile is due to get a redesign. Right after all, it nonetheless makes use of the two-generations-old Golf IV's PQ34 platform, that will reside on only in rising markets like China.
In 12 many years, VW has constructed one.two million models with the New Beetle, using the U.S. becoming the single largest-and as a result most important-market. Not poor to get a compact automobile that began out as being a designer’s insane dream. Conceived in 1994 because the Idea one by J Mays and his group in VW's California style studio, it drew this kind of enthusiasm that Ferdinand Piëch made the decision to push to get a manufacturing model. In 1998, the brand new Beetle was released in the Detroit automobile display. Its boxy, yellow press package contained a flower vase, which was to turn out to be the trademark with the Beetle's inside. The automobile was as cheerful as VW's sellers, who lastly had a automobile delivered to their tons that they might promote for way more than sticker.
VW has made the decision to jump-start the trustworthy and do a 2nd version. Lovers with the cutesy compact can anticipate the completely new, redesigned New Beetle to become released subsequent spring and seem at sellers within the summer time of 2011 as being a 2012 model-the U.S. marketplace will probably be served initial. Beetle manufacturing will carry on to get location at VW's Puebla, Mexico, plant, alongside the 2011 Jetta.
In comparison with the outgoing design, the next-gen New Beetle sports activities considerably much more angular particulars, along with a supply that has observed the automobile describes it as "a sharper, more powerful, much more substantial automobile." The entrance finish attracts from your horizontal traces that characterize VW's present portfolio-without abandoning the trademark spherical headlights, needless to say. The aspect home windows are outlined, and also the rear finish appears much more effective than that with the present design. Nonetheless, the appear will probably be instantly recognizable.
Powertrains for this front-driver will arrive from VW's huge components bin, using the naturally aspirated, 115-hp, two.0-liter 4 most likely serving because the entry-level engine for that U.S. marketplace. Much more energy could arrive from your two.5-liter five-cylinder, but VW may also make the change towards the more compact but much more effective turbo- and supercharged one.4-liter TSI engine, which may make upwards of 170 hp, and also the turbocharged, 200- or 210-hp two.0-liter TSI from your GTI and GLI. This platform's prospects are nearly limitless: There might be an R model with some 270 hp, a return of a TDI design, all-wheel-drive versions, or perhaps a hybrid. Although the entry-level Beetle will most likely maintain its Aisin-designed automatic, the turbocharged designs will get VW's dual-clutch automated guide transmissions.
Even though engine options are nonetheless in flux, an extra physique fashion is really a certainty: a convertible will once more seem and is because of be released a yr or so right after the hatchback involves marketplace. Appear for that new New Beetle to debut in the New York automobile display subsequent April.
2012 VW Beetle
In 12 many years, VW has constructed one.two million models with the New Beetle, using the U.S. becoming the single largest-and as a result most important-market. Not poor to get a compact automobile that began out as being a designer’s insane dream. Conceived in 1994 because the Idea one by J Mays and his group in VW's California style studio, it drew this kind of enthusiasm that Ferdinand Piëch made the decision to push to get a manufacturing model. In 1998, the brand new Beetle was released in the Detroit automobile display. Its boxy, yellow press package contained a flower vase, which was to turn out to be the trademark with the Beetle's inside. The automobile was as cheerful as VW's sellers, who lastly had a automobile delivered to their tons that they might promote for way more than sticker.
2012 VW Beetle
VW has made the decision to jump-start the trustworthy and do a 2nd version. Lovers with the cutesy compact can anticipate the completely new, redesigned New Beetle to become released subsequent spring and seem at sellers within the summer time of 2011 as being a 2012 model-the U.S. marketplace will probably be served initial. Beetle manufacturing will carry on to get location at VW's Puebla, Mexico, plant, alongside the 2011 Jetta.
2012 VW Beetle
In comparison with the outgoing design, the next-gen New Beetle sports activities considerably much more angular particulars, along with a supply that has observed the automobile describes it as "a sharper, more powerful, much more substantial automobile." The entrance finish attracts from your horizontal traces that characterize VW's present portfolio-without abandoning the trademark spherical headlights, needless to say. The aspect home windows are outlined, and also the rear finish appears much more effective than that with the present design. Nonetheless, the appear will probably be instantly recognizable.
Powertrains for this front-driver will arrive from VW's huge components bin, using the naturally aspirated, 115-hp, two.0-liter 4 most likely serving because the entry-level engine for that U.S. marketplace. Much more energy could arrive from your two.5-liter five-cylinder, but VW may also make the change towards the more compact but much more effective turbo- and supercharged one.4-liter TSI engine, which may make upwards of 170 hp, and also the turbocharged, 200- or 210-hp two.0-liter TSI from your GTI and GLI. This platform's prospects are nearly limitless: There might be an R model with some 270 hp, a return of a TDI design, all-wheel-drive versions, or perhaps a hybrid. Although the entry-level Beetle will most likely maintain its Aisin-designed automatic, the turbocharged designs will get VW's dual-clutch automated guide transmissions.
Even though engine options are nonetheless in flux, an extra physique fashion is really a certainty: a convertible will once more seem and is because of be released a yr or so right after the hatchback involves marketplace. Appear for that new New Beetle to debut in the New York automobile display subsequent April.
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