Beetle Mania!

2012 VW Beetle (New York)

It seems the new Bug has already made its way to the Big Apple. Today, VW officially revealed the all-new VW Beetle today in New York. A lot of Beetle fans turned up to look at the new Bug as it was presented by Klaus Bischoff, VW's head of design.

"We took the current Beetle and threw everything about it out the window and had the original Beetle in the studio when we started redesign in 2007" - Klaus Bischoff, VW's head of Design

It turns out a lot of people like the new Beetle. There were some people who said, "it doesn't look like a Beetle anymore." Yeah, that's what they said about the last one. But anyway, VW showed off two models of the Beetle, the standard model and the Turbo. It looks like the Turbo will carry VW's 2.0-liter 200 horsepower turbo-4 engine. And since it's a small car, expect it to be quite quick. VW's Global Marketing Director, Luca de Meo, says that thanks to the Beetle's new XDS electric front differential, it's more nimble and agile, it's like driving Herbie or a mosquito.

"the fact that the 200-horsepower turbocharged motor makes this a 'toy for a boy'; and the Fender audio that includes some first-time features such as the Panasonic technology in the tweeters." - Luca de Meo, VW Global Marketing Director

Basically what VW is trying to do is make the Beetle less feminine as it was back in Y2K. Of course, women may love it, but for men who love power, like I do, they hope that the new Beetle has enough to please them.

"We want to make a statement without making compromises, to get out of niche and into core demand in many markets, not just the States."- Luca de Meo, VW Global Marketing Director

So, all-in-all, the Beetle looks like it's one for the masses: a revolution of something that was ugly into something more streamlined. In my opinion, it looks like a bubbly Golf. There is some Golf-ness in this car that some people can't see. I'll take it for a test drive this fall. Top Gear so far says it's not half bad. The sporty styling they think is actually much better and the interior is top notch. I think Clarkson & Hammond have the deciding vote on this one. The all-new Beetle will come out this fall at a pretty decent price.