Your First Look at the New ‘Man-Like’ VW Beetle
- Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:08am by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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AP
(The Blaze/AP) — In its 73-year history, the Beetle has evolved from the hippie ride of choice to a cute chick car. Now Volkswagen is reinventing it again.
The company introduced an edgy new design Monday for its signature model, giving it a flatter roof, a less bulbous shape, narrowed windows and a sharp crease along the side. Gone is the built-in flower vase on the dashboard.
In other words, as Jalopnik writes, it’s more “man-like.”
Photo: themotorreport.com
It’s the first overhaul since 1998, when Volkswagen came up with the New Beetle. VW, which wants to triple its U.S. sales of cars and trucks over the next decade, says the changes will appeal to more buyers, especially men.
But the changes could also anger fans, who love the little four-seater for its huggable curves and perky attitude.
“I hope they keep the fun in the car, and all the round angles,” says Howie Lipton, who owns a computer repair business in Hamilton, Ontario, and helps organize an annual New Beetle show in Roswell, N.M.
Lipton says he was hoping VW would update the spare interior, and his wish has been granted. VW’s lead Beetle project manager for the U.S., Andres Valbuena, says the 2012 model will have a navigation system, a significantly larger trunk, more luxurious materials and ambient lighting.
“It ties in more with our other products. It’s more upscale,” Valbuena says. The 2012 Beetle goes on sale this fall. VW won’t yet say how much it costs.
The design is based not on the New Beetle but on the original Beetle, which was created in Nazi Germany in the 1930s, came to the U.S. after World War II and became a counterculture favorite because of its low cost and unusual look.
It was the antithesis of the land yachts being churned out in Detroit, and Baby Boomers loved it. In 1968, a Beetle with a mind of its own, Herbie, starred opposite Dean Jones in the hit Disney movie “The Love Bug.”
But sales slowed as VW faced tough competition in the small-car segment from Japanese and U.S. automakers and money problems back in Germany. U.S. sales of the original Beetle peaked at 200,000 in 1962. VW stopped selling the car in the U.S. in 1979.
In 1998, the company introduced the New Beetle, an overhaul of the original that became a huge hit. Buyers swooned over its cute, rounded styling. For a time, the Beetle was outselling such stalwarts as the Ford Focus and Chevrolet Impala. When a convertible version was released in 2003, U.S. sales rose to almost 93,000.
Larry Erickson, who led a lauded redesign of the Ford Mustang six years ago along with New Beetle designer J Mays, says people are unusually attached to the original Beetle and New Beetle because of their friendly shapes and the confident but unaggressive way they sit on the road.
It will be difficult for VW designers to capture that emotion and still make the car look current, he says, especially because it hasn’t been that long since the 1998 redesign.
Photo: themotorreport.com
“Every car manufacturer faces this when they do a facelift, but in the case of the Beetle, you’ve got something people feel fairly strongly about,” says Erickson, who now teaches at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. “It has a certain personality to it, an endearing quality.”
Valbuena says VW believes the new design stays true to the name but will broaden the car’s appeal beyond the 1998 version, which appealed heavily to women in their 50s and 60s. In focus groups, men liked the more aggressive design.
In addition to an upgraded, 170-horsepower, 2.5-liter gas engine, VW will offer a sportier, 200-horsepower, turbocharged gas engine – Volkswagen hopes it will appeal to guys – and a fuel-efficient diesel. VW estimates that the new basic engine will be slightly more efficient than the current one, which gets 29 mpg on the highway. The diesel will get up to 40 mpg.
Even if it satisfies its fans, the third incarnation of the Beetle will have to compete in a U.S. small-car market that is bigger and much more competitive than it was in 1998.
When the New Beetle was introduced, European cars like the Mini Cooper, Smart Fortwo and Fiat 500 weren’t sold in the United States. By last year, the Mini Cooper was outselling the Beetle almost three-to-one.
And buyers who want a funky design have new options like the Kia Soul, Nissan Cube and the Scion xB. VW sold about 16,500 New Beetles in the United States last year, down 82 percent from the 2003 peak.
Working to Volkswagen’s advantage are higher gas prices and fuel-economy standards, which make small cars a smarter choice, along with a population boom of young buyers. Their parents, the Baby Boomers who fell in love with the Beetle 50 years ago, are also looking to trade down in size.
Rebecca Lindland, director of strategic review at the consulting firm IHS Automotive, says U.S. sales of small specialty cars like the Beetle dropped during the recession as buyers went for bigger, cheaper options like the Toyota Corolla. The Corolla costs almost $3,000 less than the Beetle, which starts at $18,690.
But Lindland says U.S. specialty car sales are expected to more than double to 350,000 cars per year by 2013.
VW will depend on high-volume sellers like the Jetta and Passat sedans to meet its ambitious sales goals, which call for selling 1 million vehicles in the U.S. and 10 million worldwide by 2018.
But it still sees the Beetle as a key part of the brand, as it showed Monday with simultaneous unveilings of the car in New York, Berlin and Shanghai. To many people, VW is synonymous with the Beetle.
“It is an iconic vehicle,” Lindland says. “It represents, for most Americans, a very positive image.”
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Comments (97)
north 49
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 10:33amim gonna buy one-turn it into a convertable, streched
Report Post »irishheart628
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 3:09pmDon’t bother. Buy a VW Eos. Great fun to drive topless!
Report Post »OLDBIKEFIXER
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 10:30amAt least they didn’t make it a 4-door. It’s getting harder and harder to find 2-door cars these days. Why? Not everyone has children that need to be jammed into the back seat…
The silly grin that’s produced by the grille / headlights looks “cartoonish”. It also makes me wonder if Mazda had a hand in the styling. I love Mazda’s cars (still driving my ‘89 Mazda 323!), but the “smiley face” on their current models doesn’t do much for me.
Now if they would just make it rear-wheel-drive…
One more thing – Turbos SUCK! Okay, technically, they blow, but you know what I mean. Sure, they’re fun for the first 10,000 miles or so, then they seize up or burn out. Figure on a few thousand dollars to fix it… and I’m not crazy about having to change the oil every other week, which is about how often turbocharged cars need their oil changed.
Report Post »rob n ny
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 2:05pmTurbos are fabulous if they are done well. I had a 1986 Dodge Colt Turbo (Mitsubishi Mirage) that I put 135,000 miles on, and only gave it up when a driver turned left in front of me. The engine wasn’t quite as peppy as it had been when new, but it still worked quite well, and NEVER a problem with the turbo. I did change the oil a little more regularly, but I didn’t have to use synthetic oil or anything special. On a side note, as long as people are bringing up Hitler’s role in the VW, my Mitsubishi (imported by “By American” Lee Iacocca) was made by the company that produced the Japanese Zero.
Report Post »liquidflorian
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 2:09pmThey’re going to put the same 2.0 Turbo from the GTI, Passat and assorted Audi models into this beetle. That motor has been nothing but reliable, strong and fuel efficient in my GTI. These cars are going to go like stink and corner like a razor blade and be more fun the a jack russel terrier on ecstasy.
Report Post »uvgtafrnd2
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 10:23amI suggest to VW that they resurrect the “VW Thing” and muscle it up into a economical 4×4.
Report Post »Now that would be more like a “Man-like VW!”
cranberry
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 10:11amLove it, still looks like it’s supposed to, tho the flower vase would have been a cool thing for them to continue with.
Report Post »BetsyRoss1513
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 10:09amAnd just exactly HOW is this …….. ‘man-like’…….. ???
Report Post »seaweaver
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 10:09amwho cares what it looks like?
the last diesel vw was produced in ????04???06???
THE FLIPPIN THING GOT 50 MPG. Color it pink and I’d still drive it and LAUGH every time I fill up.
cw
Report Post »Warphead
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 10:08amВы немцы не пьют автомобиля. У вас их девочек sissy автомобиля. Это ничто по сравнению с гордостью матери России, Волги.
Report Post »Warphead
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 10:02amWas für ein gutes Geschäft. Sie werden so zufrieden, wenn sie Kauf der manly Mann Völker Auto.
Report Post »Ron Burgundy
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:48amIve got two balls in my bag and i would never drive that car
Report Post »fdonnino
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:47amIf it’s anything like the New 2006 Beetle I bought, they can keep it. I never saw a car fall apart so quickly and I have had many cars. Junk!
Report Post »Stoic one
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:32amI will just fix the Trucks I have. they are from a defunct company that used to be called General motors. It is now government motors; soon to be called china motors.
Report Post »Sam Brown
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:31amIt is a mans car, one that he can give his woman so he can buy a truck.
Sammy
Report Post »texasfarmer
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:29amNot.
Report Post »MaggieRose
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:28amHA!! I can still easily run over that thing in my Ford 4X4 pick-up thank you very much…
Report Post »ex-koolaide
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:28amThis is not new, it is a few changes to the old TT prior to 2005. Which by the way was one of the most fun cars I ever had, just get 4wd! Glad they brought it back, might get one again!
Report Post »Tituspullo
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:27amLOL I still have my 65 beetle!
Report Post »EP46
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 12:10pmLucky you !!! I have owned 4 and loved them all. Never any problems with a single one. I now have a 2010 New Beetle convertible and when I bought it they said there would not be a 2011….but I never dreamed the 2012 would look like this !!!! Hope mine lasts forever, guess there will not be another.
Report Post »niki
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:26amI have loved beetles/bugs my whole life. Always wanted one, finally got one, was looking to buy another one. Then THIS happened. VW screwed up the Jetta design, now the Beetle. This car design is criminal. It horrible!
Report Post »brntout
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:47amI got my parents hand-me-down bugwhen they upgraded to the super beetle.Was hell to drive in the winter with the only source of heat was from the air-cooled engine,but was a hoot to drive…till the engine caught fire.The magnesium block could not be put out.Total loss.
Report Post »@leftfighter
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:24amHeadline is wrong. This isn’t the first look at the new VW.
Th Super Bowl commercial was: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV-CCnOASyw
Report Post »Psychosis
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:22amwell, id buy that before i bought from government motors, and i only like older bugs
the new bugs are like the new hummers……………metrosexuals
Report Post »@leftfighter
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:27amWhen I bought my car this year, I had a hard… very hard… time walking away from some of the Government Motors cars.
Say what you might, but the Camaro and Challenger are good looking cars.
Report Post »GhostOfJefferson
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:34am@LeftFighter
The body is still there, but the soul has departed this earth. Don’t be tempted by an empty shell brother, go Ford or at least some respectable German or Japanese make of auto, that’s the best kind of respect you can pay to the now deceased line of one time “red white and blue” autos that were killed by unions.
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 10:01am@Psychosis:
The sight of the new VW ‘man car’ only gives me one thought – CAR CRUSHER!!! QUICK!!!
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:20amThe Bug was originally designed on Hitler’s orders to provide the masses with an affordable automobile. Thus the name Volks (people’s) Wagon (car). It’s kind of the same way Obama ordered the Chevy Volt to be built for the masses. Think the Volt will be around in 70 years? LOL
Report Post »sleazyhippo
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:32amI was waiting for the first to bring Uncle Adolf into the discussion – and as a bonus you managed to compare WWII to the Recession! That certainly is gonzo journalism! Well Done!
Report Post »GhostOfJefferson
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:45am@Hippo
Actually, it was 100% relevant to the actual origins of the Volkswagon. It’s hard to escape making that observation, given as the name “Volkswagon” is a German word. Given your post, would you thus rail at somebody for noting that Toyota is a Japanese company with origins in pre-WW2 Japan?
It’s fine and well to accuse somebody of a Godwin, but in doing so you should probably limit such accusations to topics where the Nazis/Hitler are not in fact relevant. What you’ve presented as a post is a simple non-sequitur.
Report Post »APEXIdaho
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:47amI have a friend that had one of the early models and they called it Hitler’s revenge.
Report Post »sleazyhippo
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:57amJeff; I think he did a good job, why are you so sensitive? (smile)
Report Post »Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar!
GhostOfJefferson
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 10:26am@Hippo
You read intonation where none exists. Please sir, sophomoric passive aggressive banter is rather cliche and boring.
Report Post »LifeProject2012
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:19amI think that new VW just winked at me!
Report Post »travlman77
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:18amDoesn’t trip my trigger!
Report Post »RLTW
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:17amBring back the Karmman Gia VW!
Report Post »niki
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:24amI am right there with you. Except it needs to be convertible.
Report Post »Mainer forever
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:32amTrue that….and only make them as standard transmission with the convertable.
Report Post »RLTW
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 10:07amAgree on both counts, manual trans/convertible.
Report Post »pavnvet
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 10:24amNah, bring back the Thing,the car, errr truck, no….well, it was a thing. VW wouldn‘t modify the bug to US safety regs that were being introduced in the late 70’s and that is why they stopped selling it here. They continued to manufacture the car in third world countries that had little or no emission or safety standards. Read into that, Corporate Greed.
The original Beetle couldn‘t maintain highway speeds in it’s day (top stock speed was 72 mph with no head wing). The Rabbit that replaced the beetle was a complete failure. The Karman Ghia was an okay looking car, but couldn‘t get out of it’s own way. VA has limped along in this country for decades with several flashes in the pan such as the New Beetle and the Tourag. Both of these after selling for over list price for a short period, left dealers with lots filled with unsold inventory.
One interesting thing is that after selling cars in Fairbanks, Alaska for 30 years in 2003 they closed the franchise point. That decision left several thousand military and civilian owners with the closest warranty coverage and factory service 350 miles away in Anchorage (the location of the only dealer in Alaska). They just abandoned their customer base as the cars would not stand up to the harsh climate. (All other major, non luxury brands maintain facilities in Fairbanks including Kia, Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota, Subaru, Ford, GM and Chrysler).
VW’s have never been all they are cracked up to be (and that includes the diesels). However, it is a manufacturer that shows once again you can fool some of the people all the timed.
Report Post »brntout
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:13amAnother generation of hippies in the making?
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:19amSo does that mean since the Volt was bought up for the next ten years by GE, then the newest VW will be bought out by the fed’s and given out as new gifts to government employees?
Report Post »sleazyhippo
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:23amNo, Bill. That would be patently ridiculous and no one knowledgeable in Government would allow it.
Report Post »brntout
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:27amOh didn’t think ’bout that one.Clever.Since only the gov’t was buying the Volt ……
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:32am@SleazyHippo
You hit upon the main point, how many in government actually are knowlegable, let alone competent at a higher level of responsibility where such deals are made.
Report Post »sleazyhippo
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:52amBill, can you tell me once where “such deals” as personal cars given as gifts to workers were made in the Federal government?
(NOT Jan Brewer’s “cars to cronies” 2009 scandal)
Joy! is: (to the world) – Beauteous-ness, and Light! Good Job!!
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:10amSo now they design the thing to make it look like there is a big grinning face on the front? This is how they expect men to be interested in the VW redesign?
Make it into a truck, paint it red or black, and then you may have a winner.
Report Post »Gold Coin & Economic News
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:14amYea, it may look a little more man like, but at 200 hp with the upgraded engine it will only have sissy like power.
Report Post »wildjoker5
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:17amFlattening the top, it makes it a “man” car.
Report Post »missionarydad
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:19amlol, it does kind of look like a grinning face. Oh well punch buggy gray! I have fun with my boys I always catch them off guard when I see one while driving.
Report Post »RepubliCorp
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:23amLooks like a electric shaver …….just most cars on the road today… ugly
Report Post »lel2007
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:24amOh I don’t know. When I imagine myself behind the wheel It kinda makes me think about let’n my stubble grow out, puttin on my leather jacket and shades, maybe a little cologne too. It’s certainly not built for cowboy hats and boots.
Report Post »psst
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:28amUm! It’s not a big grin.
Report Post »It’s a smirk. See how the lips below the license plate are tightly pursed
sleazyhippo
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:29amInteresting that this website is so focused on VW, an obvious foreign manufacturer that creates American jobs. There might be a sponsored link coming up! I wonder if there will be an article on Corvette masculinity design. If not, would it be because the ‘Vette is a Government Motors line?
Report Post »Tituspullo
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:31amYep and mine does a respectable 13.2 in the 1/4 mile. :)
Report Post »GhostOfJefferson
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:32amActually, it’s starting to morph into a Porsche if they continue this type of re-thinking. Which is fine by me, I love Porsche made automobiles. Not quite there yet, but it’s a good step away from the “flower holder in your dash” crap that they’ve been making the last decade or so.
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:34amOne crazy idea someone here in the neighbourhood has come up with is a ‘stretch’ version of a VW already, and I have to admit this one is painted like some cross between a gypse dancer and a hippie van of the past woodstock era…also has a sign saying it runs on electricity, and is a ‘green machine’ that is (my opinion) ‘ugly to the extreme.’
Report Post »conversationcanwork
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:51am‘Cause real men only like trucks. Yee Haw
Report Post »Chuck Finley
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 9:59amIt still looks like an ovary with wheels.
Report Post »LSX
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 10:23amStill one of the most fugly cars ever manufactured!
*
Report Post »independentvoteril
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 11:23amHey don‘t they KNOW if it’s NOT broken DON’T FIX IT??? bet this goes BUST.. those that like the buggy will NOT buy the new one .. and those that don‘t STILL won’t..
Report Post »RightWrite
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 11:33amA Beetle and a Porsche Panamera had a baby!
Report Post »http://www.porsche.com/usa/models/panamera/panamera/gallery/#
ozchambers
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 11:56amI think it looks better. While more aggresive, I wouldnt exactly describe it as menacing. Kind of like going from :) to :] I think I would prefer something a bit more….. >:-]
Report Post »hifi74
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 12:15pmKinda looks like the Audi TT now. With the new look even I would at least give it a second look. Given how much I drive I would even consider the diesel option.
Report Post »Armed Patriot
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 12:29pmStill a VW, and you cant even turn it into a baja bug!!!
Report Post »Rational Man
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 1:02pmIt‘s disturbing what some people think is ’man-like’.
Report Post »BetterDays
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 1:42pmThis article bugs me, does it run on vegetable oil?
Report Post »avenger
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 4:33pmhahahahahahahahaha…wimp mobile..comes with a man purse,pink shirt/tie and leather thongs.
Report Post »woodyb
Posted on April 18, 2011 at 5:59pm@ WILDJOKER5 –
Maybe that is symbolic of the flat-top’ haircut you seldom see on women!!!!!!!!!
Report Post »