2012 Volkswagen Beetle

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Volkswagen has presented new generation Beetle simultaneously in Shanghai, Berlin and New York. The new generation Beetle would have to be a very agile, dynamic performer, and no previous Beetle was this fuel efficient. High performance no longer suffices by itself: At 4.3* l/100 km (European 1.6 TDI) and 33* mpg (American 2.0 TDI), the new Beetle is the most fuel-efficient Beetle ever. The new Beetle’s...

2012 Volkswagen Beetle

Post Title → 2012 Volkswagen Beetle

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2012 Volkswagen Beetle

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2012 Volkswagen Beetle

Perhaps the most important debate of the past month surrounding a German automobile that isn't an Audi, BMW, or Mercedes-Benz has finally been settled. The new Beetle is no longer New, just new. It is now simply the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle. With or without the capital N, the latest Beetle is a big deal, with a simultaneous worldwide reveal in Berlin, Shanghai, and New York, where we'll be seeing it up close and personal for the first time at the 2011 New York auto show.
So while the new Beetle is in fact new, it is still very much a Beetle. While the trademark round fenders are present and accounted for, the bubble roof that became a calling card of the New Beetle has been flattened out into a roofline more reminiscent of the original Beetle. The result is a new C-pillar that's more faithful to the original, and a more vertical rear hatch. Much like the distantly related Porsche Panamera, not to mention the original Beetle, this means more usable headroom for rear seat passengers, something the New Beetle was lacking.
There are other substantial aesthetic changes. The new nose is longer and flatter, again like the original, and drops down onto a lower fascia that incorporates just enough of the new Volkswagen corporate grille to be recognizable. The headlights are, for the first time, bi-xenon HIDs with crescents of LED running lights framing their outboard edges. New running boards hint at the original Beetle, while a wider rear hatch rectifies another New Beetle shortcoming. An integrated spoiler is standard with the top-shelf engine.
If the 2012 VW Beetle looks wider and lower, that's because it is. To make the car look more masculine and muscular, Volkswagen widened the new Beetle by 3.3 inches and lowered the overall height by half an inch. In another bonus for the rear seat passengers, the car has also been stretched 6 inches longer overall and the wheelbase is longer, though Volkswagen hasn't said by how much. Optional 19-inch wheels, dual exhaust, and a performance and handling package will further its sporty aspirations.

 2012 Volkswagen Beetle

2012 Volkswagen Beetle

Post Title → 2012 Volkswagen Beetle

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New Volkswagen Beetle 2012

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This week in New York, Berlin and Shanghai indicated that VW is intent on making as big a splash as it did when the New Beetle began sales in 1998.

The new 2012 VW Beetle design brings more of the retro-styling into play as we can see from the low-resolution images provided by Motor Trend. We already suspected a flat-roof design from previous teaser photos and spy shots. The 2012 Beetle will sit about .5 inches lower, 3.3 inches wider and 6 inches longer than the outgoing model.

The 1.6-liter turbo diesel engine delivers around 105 horsepower while returning 65.7 mpg on the EU scale thanks to a start/stop and intelligent battery regeneration system. That equals out to around 54 mpg on the U.S. cycle, though the EPA may have something different to say should the oil burner show up in the States

Post Title → New Volkswagen Beetle 2012

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