Volkswagen Beetle 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. 

Ask anyone who was responsible for creating the Volkswagen Beetle - the 'People's Car' - and two names will usually be mentioned: Adolf Hitler, who wanted it as an affordable car for the masses, and engineer Ferdinand Porsche, who created it for him.  Not so, a new book claims. Its true designer was a talented,

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.

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.

There are no clear clues when you look at the all-time top sellers, which include everything from a hulking Yank pick-up to sedate German sedan - and the century-old Ford Model-T.

The first Carsguide drive in the new-new Beetle is coming up fast.The more sharply-focussed newcomer is a total change from the underdone original revival of the rounded lovebug, and not just a Beetle body over a Golf. We'll drive it in Berlin later this month, with the Cabrio expected to follow as a preview at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

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

Men are the target and Volkswagen is getting tough to win them to the second remake of the 60-year-old original.It has made the Beetle's body longer, lower and wider to make it more masculine, and also to answer criticisms of the girlie 1998 model - pinched back-seat space and an overly-small boot - which was always compromised by sitting over the top of a Golf.The latest Beetle has also got a much more mainstream cabin design - without a dash that tips a vase in tribute to the original - but looks better and holds onto the rounded shape while also including fake running boards down the side.It's already confirmed for Australia in 2012 and Volkswagen believes it will be more popular than the car that brought the charismatic Beetle back from the dead."2012, that’s decided, so in one year’s time probably," says the head of Volkswagen Group Australia, Anke Koeckler. She is a strong supporter of the new design and the changes made for men."Right now the designers tried to make it actually more masculine, and I think the job is done. We will have more men sitting in the car."The mechanical detail of the Beetle is being kept for later, but already it is confirmed with a range of petrol and diesel engines, both DSG and manual gearboxes, and - for the moment - front-wheel drive.In Australia, the runout of the existing Beetle has been going for some time and Koeckler says stock is very short."We don’t produce the Beetle’s for stock, we’re producing the Beetle for customers, and that means we don’t have a lot of Beetles left," she says.And she's looking forward to a car that, together with the sporty Scirocco coupe, has the potential to bring new customers to the German brand."This is a really good product to emotionalise our brand again. It’s such an iconic model for our brand right now to have the right solution. It took us a bit of time but right now I think the product is looking quite promising for us."

And Shanghai. The 21st century cult hero is being revealed on Wednesday in a simultaneous unveiling on opposite sides of the Pacific. The shape is much the same as the original 'new Beetle', but the 'new- new Beetle' is not built on the mechanical package of the Golf and that should mean far fewer compromises. Carsguide will be at the reveal in the Big Apple and is ready to report on a car that is longer, lower and wider than the born-again Volkswagen Beetle of 1998. Other early details include a body design overseen by Walter de Silva with a windscreen and roofline set further back and a boot capacity lifted from the silly 209 litres of the current car to 310 litres. The new-generation Beetle, as the car is called, will be on sale in the USA in the third quarter of this year and Australians can expect it sometime in 2012.