Volkswagen has reinvented its cult Beetle for the third time in 73 years.
The ergonomic new design, which will be offered initially to U.S. customers, gives the car a flatter roof, a less bulbous shape, narrowed windows and a sharp crease along the side.
It is the first overhaul of the Bug since 1998, when Volkswagen came up with the New Beetle, a curvaceous front-wheel drive version of the classic car.
The new design is part of a drive by VW to increase sales Stateside. The car firm wants to triple U.S. sales of cars and trucks over the next decade
It said the changes to the Beetle – making it sportier and less ‘cute’ – will appeal to more buyers, and especially men. But there is speculation that VW’s move could also anger devoted Beetle fans who love the four-seater for its curves and perky attitude. Klaus Bischoff, head of design at Volkswagen Brand, introduces the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle
The 1998 incarnation of the Beetle – the first change since the car’s design in 1938 – saw the engine moved to the front of the car and the luggage space moved to the back.
A vase for a single flower was added in a move that clearly brought the car into the realm of the female motorist.
Now though, the vase is gone, and an altogether more masculine image is being projected, with low-profile alloy wheels, LEDs, redesigned tail lights and even a turbo model on offer.
Even if it does win admirers, the third incarnation of the Beetle will have to compete in a US small-car market that is bigger and more competitive than it was in 1998.
The Volkswagen Beetle in its original incarnation was first manufactured in 1938, and more than 21 million were sold before VW ended production of the cult design in 2003. The Type 1 Volkswagen Beetle was first produced in Germany in 1938 as a simple economy car.
In Europe, the car was marketed as the Volkswagen 1100, 1200, 1300, 1500, or 1600 – denoting its engine size.
But the popular car soon became widely known around the world by its nickname – the Beetle – named after its similarity in shape to a large, round bug.
The Volkswagen factory survived after the war because the British were not interested and believed the motors to be ‘average’.
But by 1953 the Beetle began selling in Britain after J.Gilder & Co Ltd in Sheffield applied for the franchise and became Volkswagen’s representative in the North of England.
There were slight alterations to the design of the Beetle up until the 1970s but the overall shape remained the same.
As competition increased, the Beetle’s popularity waned and by 2003, annual production had fallen to 30,000 from a peak of 1.3 million in 1971.
Volkswagen ended production of the type 1 car in 2003 and instead focused on its type 2 models.
The Beetle is now the longest-running and most-manufactured car of a single design anywhere in the world.
The VW company was set up in 1937 at Hitler’s request, as the leader wished to create opportunities for citizens to own their own cars. He declared that the company should make family-friendly ‘people’s cars’ which could comfortably carry two adults and three children and should be affordable to every German family.
The Beetle was one of the resulting designs. In its homeland it was known as Käfer, German for beetle, and the model went on to take the same nickname when it gained popularity in the UK.Price: To be announced.
Comments