Volkswagen Beetle 2013 News

But things are changing quickly, and China’s capital city will probably have nine million cars soon as well.This is why the centre of gravity in the motor industry has moved East and all major car companies — including Jaguar, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Aston Martin and Ferrari — made a beeline to exhibit their wares at the Auto China 2012 motor show this week.China is the world’s largest car market. It passed the US in 2009 in total sales numbers — shifting 18.5 million vehicles last year. Carmakers expect annual sales in China to rise to 30 million vehicles a year by 2020. Several hope to double their sales from the 2011 levels by 2015.So it's no surprise that the flavour of Beijing show is hinting at that future. Star of the show was the outrageous Lamborghini Urus — a bullish supercar sports utility vehicle from the Italian car-maker.The Urus, set to go on sale from 2016 is a beast that Volkswagen-owned Lamborghini reckons will be the fastest-accelerating 4x4 on the planet, with a 0-100km/h time of less than 4.7 seconds and a top speed of about 300km/h, thanks to its hybrid four-litre petrol engine linked to an electric motor. Just the thing for the school run.Volkswagen showed off a sporty Beetle roadster that took my fancy. And there weren’t as many knock-off lookalikes as in previous years, though some Chinese makers had a crack at a Rolls-Royce and a Mini.And in China, the People’s Flag may be deepest red, but they also like to fly the Union Jack. The British flag was much in evidence, especially on the Chinese-owned MG stand, where it adorned a map of the British Isles, and also on the German-owned Mini stand. Indeed, Mini went the whole hog with what looked like models posing as flat-capped cockney barrow boys.Hats off also to MG, the once-great British sports car marque, now owned by Shanghai Automotive. Brilliant stand and it won the show’s best ‘concept’ — the MG Icon, a 21st-century take on the MGB, which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary. 

The Koreans starred, the Japanese mounted a comeback, and One Ford hit the headlines with an extended family of Focus-based newcomers that it is certain to make a big hit in Australia. But it was one car and the commitment of its company chief that made the most impact as America fought back on the opening day of the 2011 North American International Motor Show.The electic two-seat Volkswagen Beetle powered by an 85kW electric motor and with a range of 160km.The electric drive unit is being called Blue e-motion and will be used in future VW products, including the upcoming Golf.The batteries are housed under the rear bench seat and beneath the boot and weigh about 80kg. They can be recharged via a domestic plug or using a quick-charge station.The E-Bugster differentiates itself from a regular Beetle with a lower ride height and the C-shaped daytime running lights that have become a signature element on VW's electric vehicles and runs on a set of 19-inch rims.The coupe uses an blacked out A-frame to extend the look of the windscreen and emphasise the slightly curved roof, that doesn't look too far removed from the "backwards baseball cap" adopted on the Mini coupe.The interior instrumentation also sets the E-Bugster apart from a regular Beetle. The tacho has been replaced with an energy consumption display that pendulums depending on whether the vehicle is acceleration or slowing down.There's also a driving range indicator, battery charge display and a panel showing the intensity of battery regeneration during braking. The electric-only Beetle was joined by a petrol-electric Jetta hybrid sedan that VW says will go on sale in the US later in November.VW product head Ulrich Hackenberg says the Jetta hybrid will go from 0-100km/h in less than nine seconds and can operate solely on the 20kW electric motor at speeds up to 27km/h, though only for a distance of around 2km, at which point the 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine kicks in, running through a seven-speed dual-clutch manual automated transmission.Fuel economy is around 20 per cent lower than that of a conventional petrol vehicle. The hybrid Jetta adopts the Touareg hybrid's habit of decoupling the engine from the drivetrain when coasting or operating on the electric motor to reduce friction.The 35kg battery is mounted under the rear seat. and VW says the lightweight components means weight has only risen by 100kg compared with a conventional Jetta.

The Koreans starred, the Japanese mounted a comeback, and One Ford hit the headlines with an extended family of Focus-based newcomers that it is certain to make a big hit in Australia. But it was one car and the commitment of its company chief that made the most impact as America fought back on the opening day of the 2011 North American International Motor Show.The car follows the path of its 2005 Detroit show special, the Ragster. Like the forgotten Ragster, the Volkswagen E-Bugster Concept is a redesign of the Beetle, though the newer exercise is based on the latest Bug.E-Bugster - which has little chance of seeing a production line - is a design theme atop Volkswagen’s Blue-e-motion electric drivetrain that is planned this year to underpin a variant of the Golf.Volkswagen says the E-Bugster - slash Golf-e - uses an electric motor up front and a lithium-ion battery beneath the rear chassis. It claims a 160km range and the option of a quick charge that’ll get 80 per cent of it fired up within 30 minutes.The electric motor produces 85kW and about 270Nm of torque. That’s the inside. The outside is the new, new Beetle - in Australia in November this year - with 75mm chopped from the roof pillars and set on 20-inch wheels.There’s also slight changes to the nose and tail and LED daytime running lights. Only extra instruments - including the deletion of the tachometer and a energy-consumption meter in its place - identify the interior.The E-Bugster Concept is purely a showcase for the drivetrain - much as the Bulli was to present a new-age Kombi. Bulli is still a strong chance for production though will initially be fitted with the Up/Polo petrol and diesel drivetrain options. An electric Bulli - as shown at last year’s Geneva motor show - will come later.The same timeline is expected of the E-Bugster though the chances of it making it to showroom with a chopped roof are - zero.

China is clearly on top of the car world in 2011.

Do you remember the game where every time you see a VW drive by, you punched a friend? Now, with 13 VW models, the game just got a whole lot better. Introducing PunchDub the game. Its never been easier to reach out and punch someone.

A total re-make of the curvy contender is cutting the cute and pushing a much more macho line in a bid to win more male buyers.The original retro Beetle has been a hit with women, particularly in the USA, but Volkswagen has been concerned that it has not done well enough with men.So it has pulled in the edges and pumped out the guards in a major makeover which comes following the latest Golf VI, which provides the mechanical package for the Beetle.There is no new yet from Europe on the Golf's on-sale date but it is expected to be previewed at the Frankfurt Motor Show in October, pointing to Australian sales in the second half of next year.