Volkswagen Beetle News

Volkswagen is close to a final sign-off on the second generation of its New Beetle and the car, caught by Carparazzi, looks to have answered most of the complaints of about the born-again original. It has more space, more elegance, and is more faithful to the 1940s original - which survived into the 1980s - than the New Beetle. The original comeback car was nothing more than a Volkswagen Golf with a Beetle-ish body on top, a layout that gave a people mover-style driving position and almost no space in the back seat or boot. The next Beetle is coming in 2012 and the Caparazzi pictures show a test car with the production cabin layout, but with modified front and rear panels to give it some disguise. Carparazzi sources say the next Beetle will grow in length but will become lower than today's car.  It should also answer the call from the USA for more back-seat customers and more masculine appeal. Engine-wise, Carparazzi expects the German maker to carry-over the lineup found in the Jetta, including a base 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, an optional 2.5-litre five-cylinder petrol engine, the 2.0-litre turbocharged TSI engine for those looking for sport, a 2.0-litre TDI diesel for those looking for a blend of longevity and fuel economy, and perhaps even a hybrid model as well. There is no news yet on a cabriolet conversion for a car that is almost certainly not going to be called the New New Beetle.

"I like to say I sell pre-loved cars not second-hand cars. Unfortunately I love too many of them," the 44-year-old Southport dealer principal says. "That's the problem with being a dealer principal; you are in the shop with all these lollies coming in through the front door. You say, 'will I buy it to keep it or sell it?'. What do you do? It's hard when you love cars. You end up with a collection."Dean's collection is mainly made up of cars that have come down from the bedroom walls of his youth into his garage. They include: a 1966 Austin Healey Sprite, a "black, lowered and lovely" 1970 Fiat 124 BC Sport, a 1982 Lancia Beta Coupe which "not surprisingly has rust in all the wrong places", a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III, a 1970 Honda Civic that's only done 20,000km, a 1972 one-owner VW millionth edition Beetle, a 1968 Meyers Manx beach buggy, a 1990s Nissan S-cargo mini van "my wife calls Daisy", a 1988 Corolla hillclimber and a rare 1988 Lancia Delta Integrale HF 4WD eight-valve."I just bought another Integrale from Japan which is basically rust free," he says. "But I'll have to give up some of my other toys like the Beta, Veedub and the Civic."He plans to strip back the second Integrale and make it into a replica white Martini rally car like the ones driven to six World Rally Championships in the 1980s and '90s by drivers such as Juha Kankkunen and Miki Biasion. It's got the 16-valve, two-litre turbo engine but even though it has a smaller turbo than my eight-valve, it doesn't have as much lag. "You can get about 700 horsepower (522kW) out of them which I imagine could be quite scary."He plans to drive the Lancias in historic sprint meetings such as the Tweed on Speed, Leyburn Sprints and recent Cootha Classic. Meanwhile, he seriously campaigns his Corolla in the Queensland hillclimb championships which he won a few weeks ago."I got into it about three years ago through a friend of mine with a little Alfa who kept hounding me and hounding me," he says. "I kept putting it off because you have to be committed, but I did it one day at Mt Cotton and I was hooked. They're a great bunch of blokes. It's not exactly a blood sport."His Corolla has a 4AGE blacktop 20-valve Toyota four-cylinder naturally aspirated improved classified category race engine developing 89kW at the wheels."But it has a lot more torque which is great for hillclimbs," he says. He bought it for $1500 and has turned it into a $28,000 project racer. This is just a car that was supposed to hold me over until I got into the Evo monster," he says. "But you just can't jump in and hit the track with something that has 350kW at the wheels. It's a bit dangerous. I bought the Corolla to step up to the Evo, but I've fallen in love with it and the Evo is still sitting there. And in the interim I've come across the Integrale and now I'm getting another one. It's a sickness."He bought the 134kW Delta from Western Australia for $15,000 after "hunting one down" over several years. "It's got coil-over springs, it's been chipped, I've replaced the manifold and exhaust, and it's had tender loving care...  and about $5000 spent on it. I only use it for special exhibition events, not serious competition. I worry a little bit. I don't want to put it into a wall."

Volkswagen has just ended production of the rounded retro runner but is already promising a new-new Beetle will be ready for the road towards the end of 2011.  Next time it will be much more focussed than the original comeback car, which was basically a Beetle body slapped over the top of the mechanical package of the Golf."The new beetle is coming next year. We're planning it for next year," says Anke Koeckler, head of Volkswagen Group Australia.  "We are going to have the talks in Germany next month, and do the planning, and then we can decide exactly what time we want to introduce this car."We have to do it properly. It's not big volume, but it's very important with the position and heritage for this iconic model."  The born-again Beetle has worked well for Volkswagen, particularly in the USA, although has only sold around 8000 cars over 13 years.Next time around it is likely to be more focussed, although there is zero chance of an air-cooled rear engine being re-introduced.  But Volkswagen is doing a lot of research on many projects, including the baby Up city car which should also be ready for production next year. It could potentially share parts with the new-new Golf.Koeckler says VW must stay true to the Beetle's basic design for the new car, as it is one of the world's few signature shapes.  "Everyone has a picture in their mind of the Beetle and of Volkswagen," she says."It's always a bit difficult for this iconic model to make a big step forward and a change in the design. It might be a little bit more modern, but we will not change the concept of the design."  While the new-new Beetle is still secret, VGA is running out the last of its new Beetles with a special pack with bodywork painted either black or orange."We have this special model but there are not many left. All the stock is with the dealers," Koeckler says.  The BlackOrange cars are priced from $27,500 and come with 17-inch alloys on sports suspension, leatherette upholstery, cruise control, foglamps, tinted windows and alloy plating for the pedals with a leather steering wheel and shift knob.

That is exactly where Salvatore Coco began and he has his share of breakdown stories. He loves classic cars, which is appropriate for an actor who is stepping back in time for the third series of Underbelly. This time Coco is Hammer, an enforcer with plenty of muscle, in 'The Golden Mile'. He describes the role, which sees him as a mate of Kings Cross identity John Ibraham, as "an awesome experience"."I am a bit of a car buff. I’ve always liked cars since I was a young boy. The first car I bought was a red Volkswagen Beetle when I was 19. Hasn’t everyone had one of those? It gave me more problems than anything but I was young and enjoyed tinkering and fixing things. Now I drive a silver BMW E30 – it’s an old car, a 1989 model. I’ve had it for 10 years. They’ll be a collector’s item, it’s a classic car. That particular model is one of the best BMWs – I believe. It’s one of those cars that just loves the road. I drive a lot between Sydney and Canberra and it absolutely loves it.""I’m pretty strict when it comes to people getting in my car. I don’t like people mucking around because the leather seats are the original seats. No one plays around in the back seat – and I won’t be playing around back there either.""I’ve got a lot of ‘breakdown’ stories to tell of late. In the last two years I’ve broken down at least five times. Recently, coming back from Canberra, I had forgotten to change the timing belt on the motor and I blew the head. So that cost me a lot of money and a two-night stay in Goulburn. One thing goes wrong and the whole car shuts down. I’ve got a list as long as my arm about breakdowns.""When I first bought my Volkswagen, I was working as a pizza delivery driver for Dominos. I was running late for work and the car just stopped. So I opened up the back of the Volkswagen to have a look at the engine and there was one wire from the coil to the engine which had burnt out. I was standing there trying to figure out what I could replace it with and I got an idea. I pulled a wire from one of the speakers, attached it and it worked. I didn’t even have a pair of pliers, I had to do it with my teeth. So I left it on there and drove around with one speaker working.""I once bought a new motorbike and the guy assured me it was all ready to go. It was beautiful. My friends and I decided to go for a cruise to the Central Coast. I got five minutes from home and it just stopped in the tunnel that goes onto the Anzac Bridge in Sydney. No matter what I did I couldn’t get it going. So I ring the bloke I bought it from and I took it back to the workshop. The fuse right up under the chassis had blown which tripped the fan, the fan overheated and blew the engine. All because of one silly, faulty fuse. Lucky it was still under warranty.""Sydney to Canberra is a great drive but I also love the drive from Sydney to Batemans Bay and Sydney to Yamba. That’s a very good drive.""If I make a few million dollars the first thing I’ll buy is a Ford Falcon XY GTHO Phase III. If I end up in some huge Hollywood blockbuster – I’ll buy two of them. I love Classics. I really, really love Classics."

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.

The last of the modern water-cooled front-drive ‘New Beetle’ is being celebrated with the unveiling of a ‘Final Edition’ version.  Just 3000 powder blue coupe and convertibles will be sold in North America. Already hundreds have been snapped up by collectors since it was announced at the recent Los Angeles motor show.  However, the quirky two-door will soldier on in Australia at least this year before the next-generation car arrives in Europe in 2011. Volkswagen is not revealing too much about the new car, except to say it will continue with the famous bug shape.  But it is expected to be lighter, roomier and more fuel efficient with a range of alternative powertrains, including a possibly hybrid version to complement VW's new-generation petrol and diesel engines. The 2011 Beetle is expected to share its underpinnings with the new Golf and should promise better handling car.  Although the design will be evolution of the Beetle look, Volkswagen HQ is known to be looking at broadening the car's appeal from its mostly female fan base. Volkswagen Australia spokesman, Karl Gehling, says the car has been very popular with female buyers locally.  More than 50 per cent of buyers are women under the age of 30. Gehling says the ‘Final Edition’ will only be available in America.  "But we do have some plans for limited edition models here," he says.Locally VW has introduced the limited-edition Miami version and 2008 anniversary editions, which proved popular with buyers. In the US VW even sold a hot pink ‘Barbie’ version to celebrate the doll's 50th anniversary last year.  "It's the type of car that lends itself to special editions," Gehling says. Gehling says although it has not been a big seller locally throughout its life, the company is happy with sales.  "It is not a volume product but it is consistent," he says.  The ‘New Beetle’ is based on the 1994 Detroit show car called Concept 1. When it finally hit production in 1998 the car ditched the original's air-cooled rear engine layout for a modern water-cooled front engine and front wheel drive based on the Golf.  Instead of being built in Germany too, the modern Beetle came out of Puebla, Mexico. Each special North American Bug gets ‘Final Edition’ badging, special steering wheel, sports suspension, 17-inch alloys and special paint schemes.  In the US the car is powered by a 112kW 2.5-litre in-line five-cylinder engine through a six-speed automatic.  The same engine is used in some VW commercial vehicles and Audis.New Beetle sales 2009 403 (+ cabrio)2008 790 (+ cabrio)2007 790 (+ cabrio)2006 778 (+cabrio)2005 1043 (+cabrio2004 611 (+cabrio2003 741 (+cabrio)2002 7542001 9062000 1328

But that hasn't stopped her from joining a growing band of younger people who love to drive classic cars of the past - particularly the Beetle and the little Mini Cooper. The Beetle was one of the most popular cars ever on Australian roads, with more than 274,000 imported or assembled here.  Back in the early 1960s it was winning in showrooms, rally courses and racetracks around the country.  By 1962 it was ranked third behind only GMH and Ford for car sales in Australia. While many saw the Beetle as noisy and peculiar with the engine at the wrong end of the car, many more loved the Beetle as a value-priced family machine. Some even saw it as funky and cool. Rodriguez is one of those. And she says that original unique appeal has lasted well beyond the original cars' heyday.  Last year she bought a one-owner, well-travelled, nearly 50-year-old Beetle and has brought it back to life. She has helped experts restore the cream 1962 VW over the past year.  Rodriguez says she has driven many modern cars but adores the unique styling and feel of the old 1200cc rear-engined classic. "It's really cool, I just love it. It has classic lines, I love the chrome on it and the simpleness of it," she says.  "It's different, it's very humble, it's low maintenance. It just keeps on going." The skin specialist is on the road most days visiting clients around Sydney and uses the Beetle as her regular drive.  "It's my workhorse. I got rid of my Toyota and I've never looked back. I've never had any problems with it," she says. The little Beetle she nicknames "smallish bug" was in a sorry state when she bought it last year.  It had done more than 330,000 miles (520,000 km) with its only other owner. "It was banged-up a bit," she says.  "It was on old man's car. It was his pride and joy but he didn't have the money to spend on it. He didn't do a lot to it.  It was very worn and stinky and dirty.  It had three layers of seat covers, the carpet was rotting and all the rubber was crystalised.  There was a lot of cancer, rust, under the windshield." Rodriguez says many holes in the car had been patched up with Blue-Tack.  After paying $1800 for the car Rodriguez then got in contact with specialist VW restorers and began the process of breathing new life into the tired old bug.  She says she wanted to be involved and lent a hand where she could, even including sandblasting. The car now boasts sporty red stripes and the doors are emblazoned with "Kelly County" sherriff-type badges.  "They put it on a as a joke," she says.  After spending $5000 there's still more to be done to replace the window rubbers, carpets, seat coverings and fix some panels. But one item she has kept is the original number plate. It's showing its age but it is an important piece of the car's history.  Rodriguez admits that not too many women get involved in restoring old cars but she finds it a welcome release from her normal life.  "It is a hobby. It's just something different. It takes me out of the norm." While she uses the car as a daily driver she has also gone on some VW club runs around Sydney.  And she pepped-up one club show this year by getting some scantily-dressed girlfriends to pose as Formula One-style grid girls around the car. Rodriguez has got right into the restoration process and has even posted some videos of  the rebuild on YouTube.  One of the best treats she gets from the hobby is the look on clients' faces when she turns up. They expect to see her in a classy sports car but instead she's aboard a funky bug.  She says: "I just love people smiling as I drive by in it."

Because, in Australia, there is always a car.  For baby boomers and on through the alphabetical generations, the car was the centrepiece of our formative years by providing freedom from the family and the ability to selfishly form new human and mechanical relationships.You could argue without conclusion about what cars stamped their mark on Australians during and subsequent to World War II. In 1939, for example, there were 43 makes on sale in Australia ranging from Alvis to Wolseley.  But some were more pronounced than others.Carsguide's team of motoring experts from around Australia has compiled its ultimate list of the most important cars to drive on local roads in the 70 years since The Sunday Telegraph was first printed in November 1939.Right at the top of the list of the cars that have grabbed Australia's public interest most is the VW Beetle, closely followed by the Mini —  two of the most popular little cars ever to grace our streets.  Britain's baby four-seater Mini, with front-wheel drive, became a cult that spread from 1959 Britain through to the global market by the 1970s and regenerated more recently as a bigger, yet unmistakedly familiar, version of the past.The Beetle preceded the Mini by a few years, but the effect on a US-driven, big-car Australian customer base leapt from curious to smitten.  Despite the Beetles' peculiar shape and compact dimensions, people took to it further when it competed in, and occasionally won, arduous outback rallies with the accent on fuel economy, low running costs and durability.Like the Mini, the Beetle was briefly assembled in Australia, which created a home-grown affinity to the brand.  And it starred in its own movies as the popular Love Bug. More than 270,000 Beetles were sold in Australia.Appeal based on economical motoring reached its antithesis when Australia launched another of its favourites, the awesome Ford Falcon GT-HO Phase III of 1971.At the time this was the world's fastest four-door sedan. It was pictured on black and white televisions thundering down the Mountain at Bathurst, stood mystically at centre stage in Ford showrooms, and when one cruised the city streets, people just stared.Never mind that the $4300 hoon express wasn't a great sales success. It held up Australia as an engineering centre the rest of the world shouldn't mess with. If that wasn't patriotic enough, the exhaust noise was sufficient to send shivers up the spine.  And Australia had other slivers of greatness.The Ford utility was a world first at combining sedan comfort with truck-like versatility. It just suited Australia and was successful through the war and into its generational upgrades and model changes to this day. While the ute was unique, the Holden 48/215 and more production-oriented FJ that followed was more a clone of a small Detroit sedan. But it was touted as Australia's own car and the name (slogan??) stuck through impressive market sales.  The strength of the sales bedded General Motors' Holden into Australia soil and spawned a line of winners, most notably the enduring Commodore that was originally nicked from Germany's Opel but soon became indelibly indigenous after its launch in 1978.And then came the Japanese. Post-war Australia took the Japanese car as a bitter pill that once was targeted by the RSL as being a very unwelcome addition to its meetings' car parks.  But a Toyota Corolla is either owned — or has been owned — by virtually every Australian family. It was the first family car and the first car for youths and the preferred second-hand transport for the budget-conscious.The wave that washed away the war and made Toyota — and other Japanese makers — a household name also participated in our early history.  Toyota LandCruisers were the mules for the Snowy Mountain hydro-electric scheme, and the durability of the model to this day ensures that we are comfortable with the generic term of 4WD as a LandCruiser.It's hard to say where we would be, and what Australia would have become, without the vehicle.The most significant cars of the past 70 years1 VW Beetle2 Mini3 Toyota Corolla4 Holden FJ/48-2155 Holden Commodore6 Ford Ute7 Falcon GT-HO8 Toyota Prius9 Toyota LandCruiser10 Valiant Charger11 Holden Kingswood12 VW Kombi13 Holden panel van14 Mazda MX-515 VW Golf16 Citroen DS17 Porsche 91118 Morris Minor19 Hyundai Excel20 MGB21 Austin A3022 Subaru Leone23 Volvo 24024 Leyland P7625 Ford Customline

A whopping 260,000 were sold in Australia from 1953 to 1977 and most of them were assembled or completely made here. Herbie the Love Bug, the car star of several family fun movies of the 60s and 70s was probably the most famous but the car that began life in Nazi Germany has had a life of its own. The new age VW Beetle currently on sale has failed to capture the public imagination on anywhere near the same scale. But that's probably a reflection of just how strong the affection for the original car has been. One such fan is Sydney man Carl Moll who owns an original-condition 1973 1300 Beetle. Moll uses the car as a family driver and as his children have grown up that have begun to appreciate historic and rare values of the rear-engined machine. "I've had always great interest in the car." he says. "I think its the history of them. They are becoming rarer by the day. "They are fairly unique, they are air-cooled," he says. "They are definitely a head turner. "When I park it and come back there's people looking at it. The kids say. `There's a punch-buggy." Moll says the Beetles have proven great survivors due to their "robust, basic nature. There's still plenty of them out there. "You realise there was 21.5 million of the things built." He bought the car in original condition from a mechanic back in 1998 and scored the car's original papers with it. Moll has had it maintained in original condition ever since. "It's absolutely stock original." He says it has been refurbished, received fresh painting and interior work including the head-lining and repairing the seats but all the work has been done with the aim of keeping it original. Moll says the 36-year-old car is still a pleasure to drive. "It's no problem to drive in traffic. It keeps up. The only thing it doesn't have is the braking system of the modern car. It doens't brake as quickly." He says it has a top speed of about 100km/h. "It's not the sort of car you go around thrashing," he says. But Moll says the unique nature of the rear-engine Beetle is a feature of its drive. "You can feel a lot of classic points about it." The club and the event celebrate an illustrious history for a brand that was built out of the German war effort. After the war the British took over VW production and the Beetle was soon being mass-produced around the world. They were first assembled in Australia in 1954 at Clayton in Melbourne. Nissan and HSV have later built cars on the same site. Local content increased with the use of Australian metals, glass and components. By the early 60s VW was second only to Holden in car sales in Australia, outpacing Ford. The company switched from full manufacture of the cars in Australia to assembling parts supplied from Germany in 1968. It all came to an end in 1976 as Japanese imports were proving too price competitive and more modern than the Beetle. World-wide production of the Beetle continued up until just a few years ago in Mexico. Though componentry had moved on, the same basic body design from 50 years earlier was still in use and the legend lived on. The VW nationals will be held in Sydney this weekend.  

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.