VW New Beetle

Thursday 17 September 2009
The Volkswagen New Beetle was introduced by Volkswagen in 1998, drawing heavy inspiration from the design of the original Beetle. Unlike the classic Beetle, the New Beetle has its engine in the front and luggage storage in the rear. Strong public reaction persuaded the company to move the car into production, 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 Group A4 platform (Volkswagen Golf Mk4). 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. A convertible version of New Beetle started production in 2003, 5 years after launch, after many buyers had aftermarket conversions.

Technical data:
- engine: 4 cylinders
- capacity: 1781 cc
- horsepower: 150 HP
- gearbox: 5+1
- top speed: 203 km/h