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Nicknames for the new Beetle

Volkswagen has given approval for individual nicknames to give the all-new Beetle a local showroom boost.

It could also be a Bug, a Vocho or even a Maggiolino. Those are just a few of the 50-plus local nicknames the hump-backed people's car has picked up over the past past 70 years.

And Volkswagen says they are coming back with the arrival of the all-new Beetle just redesigned and re-developed in Germany and heading for Australia in 2012. It has given approval for individual nicknames to give a showroom boost to a car that is expected to do much better than the original but compromised - cabin and boot space especially - born-again Beetle.

Although no-one is expected to pick the 'pregnant rollerskate' tag sometimes applied in Australia ...

"Each market will be able to choose if they would like to go with the  traditional Volkswagen badge on the rear or a market specific  nickname," says Karl Gehling, spokesman for Volkswagen Group Australia.

The nicknames vary widely but almost all pick up some form of animal cuteness from the shape of the car. So the Beetle in Australia is the Bug in the USA, the Coccinelle or ladybug in France, the Peta or turtle in Bolivia, the Kodok or frog in Indonesia, and the Fakrouna or tortoise in Libya. But there are other nicknames, such as the Bjalla, or bell, in Iceland  and the Pulga - flea - in Colombia.

And in Denmark, which obviously has clear memories of the Nazi era and World War II, it was sometimes know as the Hitlerslaeden or Hitler-sled. Gehling says the final badging for Australia has not been decided but  the Beetle is a 99 per cent certainty to continue in 2012.

Käfer ("beetle") in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
Pichirilo in Ecuador
Pulga ("flea"), or "Escarabajo" ("beetle") in Colombia
Coccinelle (ladybug) in France, Quebec, Hiati and Algeria
Kever in Belgium
Vocho in Mexico, Costa Rica and Colombia
Fusca in Brazil and Paraguay
Escarabajo (meaning "Beetle") in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, Spain, Uruguay, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Venezuela
Peta ("turtle") in Bolivia
Folcika, or Buba (Bug) in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Kostenurka (meaning turtle) or Brambar (meaning beetle) in Bulgaria
Bug, Beetle, Choupette (Herbie's name in the French version of the movies) in Canada
Escarabat (means "beetle") in Catalan
Poncho in Chile
Buba in Croatia
Brouk in Czech Republic
Boblen (the bubble), Bobbelfolkevogn (a distortion of 'the bubble' and a translation of 'Volkswagen', the people's car), gravid rulleskøjte (pregnant rollerskate) or Hitlerslæden (The Hitler-sled) in Denmark
Cepillo ("Brush") in Dominican Republic
Pronounced khon-fesa (Beetle in Arabic) in Egypt
Fakrouna ("Tortoise") in Libya
Põrnikas ("beetle") in Estonia
Volkkari' (short from "Volkswagen"), Kuplavolkkari or just Kupla ("bubble") in Finland
Scathari meaning beetle in Greece
Cucaracha or Cucarachita (Cockroach or little cockroach) in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.
Bogár ("bug") in Hungary.
Bjalla ("bell") in Iceland
Kodok (frog) in Indonesia
Ghoorbaghei ("frog") in Persian Iran
Agroga (froggy) or Rag-gah (small turtle)in Iraq
Bimba in Israel
Maggiolino in Italy
Kabuto-mushi (means "drone beetle") in Japan
Kifuu in Kenya
Vabole in Latvia
Vabalas in Lithuania
Kura (turtle) or Kodok (frog) in Malaysia
Sedán, Pulguita (little flea), Vocho or Vochito (sometimes spelled "bocho/bochito") in Mexico
Kashima in Namibia
Bhyagute Car in Nepal literally: "Frog Car".
Kever in the Netherlands
Boble (bubble) in Norway
Foxi or Foxy in Pakistan
"Pendong", kotseng kuba (literally, 'hunchback car') in the Philippines
Garbus (literally, 'Hunchback') in Poland
Carocha in Portugal
Volky in Puerto Rico
Broasca / Broscu?? (little frog/froggy) or Buburuza (ladybird) in Romania
Buba in Serbia
Volla, Kewer, Volksie - Pronounced Folla in South Africa
Chrobák in Slovakia
Hro?? in Slovenia
Volks / Beetle/ Ibba (turtle) in Sri Lanka
Kobe in Tanzania
Pronounced Rod Tao (turtle car) / (Volk Tao) in Thai
Kaplumba?a or tosba?a (meaning turtle) or "vosvos" in Turkey.
Con B? in Vietnam
Bhamba datya in Shona - Datya is frog in the vernacular from Zimbabwe
Tortuga in Panama
Escarabajo, Bocho o Rana in Perú
Kupla (Bubble) in Finland.