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The Volkswagen New Beetle is a subcompact car introduced by Volkswagen in 1998, drawing heavily on the design cues of the original Beetle. Based on a Volkswagen Golf, it is assembled at the VW Puebla factory in Mexico. Unlike the classic Beetle, the New Beetle has its engine in the front and storage in the rear.

Concept 1

At the 1994 North American International Auto Show, Volkswagen unveiled the J Mays-penned "Concept 1" with lines heavy influenced by the original Beetle. It was equipped with "large diameter" 17 inch (43 cm) wheels (with the VW logo, just like the original Beetle hubcap) with low-profile tires. Also, in the concept car, there was a "zero emission" hybrid design.

New Beetle

Strong public reaction persuaded the company to move the car into production^{[citation needed]}, and in 1998 Volkswagen launched the New Beetle, designed by J Mays and Freeman Thomas at the company's California design studio. The New Beetle is related to the original only in name and appearance (including the absence of a car emblem script with the exception of the VW logo): under the hood, it is a modern car in every way, based on the Volkswagen A platform (Mark 4 Volkswagen Golf).

Still, it carried many design features related to the old Beetle: separate wings, vestigial running boards, sloping headlamps and large round tail lights, as well as a high rounded roofline that provides enough headroom for tall drivers.

In stark contrast to the original, the U.S. Insurance Institute of Highway Safety gave the New Beetle among the best safety ratings in its class at the time of its launch.

The car was a relatively slow seller in Europe^{[citation needed]}, but it was a success in the United States^{[citation needed]}. There, marketing campaigns enhanced the continued goodwill towards the original, and helped the new model to inherit it. The Volkswagen New Beetle was Motor Trend's Import Car of the Year [1] for 1999. A convertible version of New Beetle started production two years after launch, after many buyers had aftermarket conversions.

In the United States the engines were the 2.0 liter inline-4, for the base model, and the 1.8 liter turbo inline-4, for the Sport Model which included a sport suspension, and bigger wheels and tires.

For the 2006 model, the exterior was slightly redesigned with bigger bumpers and fitted with a 150hp 2.5L I5 20V base engine, as seen on the A5 Jetta and Rabbit.

The New Beetle, like many other Volkswagen models, is assembled currently in Mexico. Houston, TX is the point of entry to the United States for all these vehicles.

The New Beetle RSi

Between 2001 and 2003 Volkswagen produced 250 limited edition New Beetles with the designation RSi in Mexico for the rest of the World. The RSi was powered by a 225 hp 3.2 liter V6 engine mated to a six-speed gearbox and Volkswagen's all-wheel drive system 4motion. It had a Remus twin-pipe exhaust. The suspension was tuned by Porsche, featuring a severely altered rear suspension geometry more geared to the race track and a rear cross member behind the rear seats. Visually, the RSi differed in its 80 mm (3.1 in) wider fenders, unique front and rear bumpers, a rear diffuser, large rear wing, and 18x9 OZ Superturismo wheels with 235/40ZR-18 tires. Inside, it was trimmed in carbon fiber, billet aluminum, and bright orange leather. The front seats were Recaro racing shells. Notable disadvantages found were loud cabin noise and low rear tire life. Curiously, in Mexico, although being a country very attached to Volkswagen, there are RSis that have not been sold since 2001. This is probably due to its US$58,000 price tag and because Mexico is the country where most Beetle RSis stay (20 cars).

The Beetle RSi was designed by Riaz Sherazee, a UK national and graduate of Coventry Automotive Design School.^{[citation needed]}

The Ragster concept

At the 2005 North American International Auto Show, the Volkswagen New Beetle Ragster concept car was introduced. It was supposed to be a preview of the future design of the New Beetle. The base of the Ragster (a ragster is the cross between a ragtop and a speedster) was a regular New Beetle Convertible. They made some changes, such as chopping the top, penning a new U-shaped roof, and creating a unique paint job with silver double stripes. The interior differs from the original New Beetle, being a 2+2 and having distinctive control dials. Another item of interest is that the Ragster's rear-view mirror is mounted on its dashboard (a retro feature, reminiscent of the first Type 1s). The Ragster's profile is lower than that of the prior New Beetle.

Dune

In 2000 an offroad prototype named Dune was created. It was inspired by the Baja Bug, which was an Old Beetle modified for use in the Baja 1000 race.

Trivia

• The car achieved 4 stars in the EuroNCAP tests scoring 25 points out of 33.
• In 2000, two new colors for the New Beetle (Vapor Blue and Reflex Yellow) were introduced in limited quantities. They were tied to a unique marketing campaign that made the new colors only available by ordering online. Although not all of the cars were ultimately sold online, the campaign was successful in driving people to VW's web site.[2]
• Best Buy's "Geek Squad" is in possession of a large number of New Beetles. They have a Police Car paint job as shown above.

Other concepts

Other designs on the New Beetle include:

• EDAG Biwak — an estate (station wagon) Beetle.

Specifications

These specifications relate to the 2.0 litre petrol (gasoline) engine. While the non engine-related specifications generally apply to other motorizations as well, variations may occur with engine type.

• Engine: Transverse-mounted water cooled I4; 1984 cc; fuel injection (available in both petrol and diesel version)
  • Max power: 85 kW (115 hp) at 5,200 rpm
  • Max torque: 122 lbf·ft (165 N·m) at 2,600 rpm
• Transmission: 5-speed manual or 6-speed automatic
• Brakes: disc brakes on all four wheels
• Dimension:
  • Length: 4089 mm (161 in)
  • Width: 1724 mm (68 in)
  • Height: 1511 mm (59 in)
  • Wheelbase: 2512 mm (100 in)
  • Curb weight: 1230 kg (2711 lb)
• Max speed: 177 km/h (110 mph)
• Acceleration (0-96 km/h | 0-60 mph): 13.2 s
• Fuel consumption: 7.3 l/100 km (32.22 mpg)

Pop culture

• The sighting of a VW Beetle is cause for violent fun in the car-sighting game known as Punch Buggy. In the American south, the game is also known as "doodle bug punch" or "Slug Bug".
• In the 1999 music video for "Call and Answer" by Barenaked Ladies, the video has many of them. The band tried to get product placement money from Volkswagen to do another edit. The company declined, saying they had no trouble selling the cars.
• In the 1999 film Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, a New Beetle is used as a time machine.
• In the 1999 video game Beetle Adventure Racing for the Nintendo 64, every playable car is a New Beetle that varies by color and specifications.
• In the 1999 film Superstar, every car in the movie is a Volkswagen New Beetle.
• In the 2002 film The Girl Next Door, Danielle's Car is a Volkswagen New Beetle.
• In the 2005 film Herbie: Fully Loaded, Herbie flirts with a yellow New Beetle. Maggie tells him, "She's too young for you."
• In the Mandy Moore music video Candy in 1998 all the cars are New Beetles.
• In a Fairly OddParents episode, when the crowd says "Go Pirates!", a New Beetle appears with crossbones.

External links

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• Dutch New Beetle Club Forum
• Dutch New Beetle Club goes Texel
• Italian New Beetle Forum
• New Beetle Puerto Rico
• FR New Beetle Forum
• UK New Beetle Owners Club and Forum
• The UK New Beetle Club and Forum
• New Beetle News
• New Beetle Enthusiasts
• French New Beetle Tribe
• New Beetle Forum
• Flemisch New Beetle Club Forum
• New Beetle Tuner
• Spanish New Beetle Forum
• 2006 Barbie limited edition

da:VW New Beetle

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