Volkswagen New Beetle

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Volkswagen New Beetle

Manufacturer:	Volkswagen
Production:	1998–present
Class:	Compact
Body style:	2-door convertible 3-door hatchback
Similar:	BMW MINI

The Volkswagen New Beetle is a compact car introduced by Volkswagen in 1998, drawing heavily on the design cues of the original Beetle. Based on a Volkswagen Golf, the "retro" design proved to be more successful in some markets than in others. It is assembled at the VW Puebla factory in Mexico. The big contrast between the New Beetle and the Classic Beetle is that, like most cars, the New Beetle has the engine in the front and storage in the back.

1 Concept 1
2 New Beetle
3 The New Beetle RSI
4 The Ragster Concept
5 Trivia
6 Other Concepts
7 Specifications
8 Pop culture
9 References
10 External links

[edit] Concept 1

At the 1994 North American International Auto Show, Volkswagen unveiled the J Mays-penned "Concept 1", a concept car with futuristic styling deliberately reminiscent of the original Beetle's rounded shape. It was a cabriolet, which retained the flowing lines of the sedan, yet captured the chic looks of the original Beetle cabriolet. It was equipped with "large diameter" 17 inch 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 made for it originally (it was said to use 248-V)

[edit] New Beetle

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 A platform (Mark 4 Volkswagen Golf).

2006 New Beetle cabrio

Still, it carried many design features related to the old Beetle: separate wings, vestigial running boards, sloping headlampsand 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 reatively slow seller in Europe, but it was a success in the United States. 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.

For the 2006 model, the exterior is slightly redesigned with bigger bumpers and is fitted with a 2.5l 150hp I5 base engine, as seen on the A5 Jetta.

[edit] The New Beetle RSI

VW New Beetle RSi

Between 2001 and 2003 Volkswagen produced 250 limited edition New Beetles with the designation RSi in Europe. The RSi was powered by a 225 hp 3.2 litre 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 80mm wider fenders, unique front and rear bumpers, a rear diffuser, large rear wing, and 18x9 OZ Superturismo wheels with 235/40ZR-18 tyres. 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 tyre 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.

[edit] The Ragster Concept

Image:Volkswagen New Beetle Ragster.jpg

The VW New Beetle Ragster

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.

[edit] Trivia

Despite its length, the car achieved 4 stars in the EuroNCAP tests, with 25 points out of 33, a very good score for 1999.
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]

[edit] Other Concepts

Other designs on the New Beetle include:

EDAG Biwak — an estate Beetle

[edit] Specifications

These specifications relate to the 2.0 litre petrol 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 brake 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): 11 s
Fuel consumption: 7.3 l/100 km (32.2 mpg)

[edit] 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 film Fight Club, the narrator (Edward Norton) and Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) spot a black New Beetle and deploy its airbags by whacking its front bumper with baseball bats.
In the 1999 film Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, a New Beetle is used as a time machine.
In the 2000 film The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle, Piper Perabo's character drives a bright yellow Beetle convertible at the beginning, and a pink one at the end.
In the 2004 film The Girl Next Door, Elisha Cuthbert's character Danielle drives an aquarius blue Beetle Convertible.
In the TV series One Tree Hill Sophia Bush's character Brooke Davis drives an aquarius blue Beetle Convertible.
In the 2002 film The Hot Chick, Rachel McAdams' character has a red Beetle Convertible, but you only ever see it on the driveway.
In the 2005 film Man Of The House, Tommy Lee Jones drives the green Beetle convertible of one of the teenagers he is protecting to chase after a criminal.