Beetle is back with reminiscent style
By Alexander Corne
Fifty years after rattling its way through the ruins of postwar Germany, a motoring icon is resurrected in Mexico. The world welcomes the return of the Beetle.
WHAT you see here is not really a Beetle at all.
A cynic might suggest it's simply a crude marketing exercise to wring every last drop of nostalgia out of the motoring public, planting a curvy, Beetle-reminiscent body on the chassis of the next generation Golf.
But we reckon despite the radical mechanical about-face, the new Beetle is going to be a winner, the world over.
The 1998 Beetle is as different from its aged predecessor as can be.
The rear-mounted flat-four air-cooled engine has been replaced by a front, transversely mounted in-line four-cylinder water- cooled engine. And there's a turbo diesel version too. Four-wheel drive will be an option as well.
Even the body shell which is instantly recognizable as a Beetle hides a clever rear hatch, opening to reveal a small but not cramped luggage store.
The Beetle's designer, J. Mays (who since has been snared by Ford), says the new Beetle is not retro. He says it is an advanced, simple design involving three arcs. The simplicity is overwhelming, but offers more than a nod to the original design, which has remained unchanged in essence for more than half a century.
And to cap it all, Volkswagen is officially naming this product the Beetle. The rear-engined air-cooled Love Bug was never officially dubbed Beetle.
The original Concept One show car from the Detroit motor show four years ago has been systematically refined. The new Beetle shares no common panels with the show car, nor the original.
However, there are styling cues, such as the pair of strappy grab handles to assist rear seat passengers get in and out, and the central pod instrument cluster.
The original is still built in Mexico, and used to cost under US$6,000 in order to earn a significant tax break.
To date, more than 22 million Beetles have been built since 1948.
The new Beetle goes on sale in the United States later this year with European sales starting in Germany toward the end of the year.
Right-hand drive production out of Mexico is unlikely before June 1999, meaning right-hand markets practically having to wait two years.
By then, a new line-up of engines is expected, so the 85kW 2.0-liter petrol and 66kW 1.8-liter diesel cars available at launch in the U.S. aren't likely to make it to right-hand drive markets.
In the U.S., there's a choice of five-speed manual or four- speed auto transmission.
The new Beetle has independent suspension all round, with ventilated front and solid rear, disc brakes.
Standard equipment in the U.S. includes air-conditioning, halogen projector beam headlights, and cup holders for all passengers.
Optional equipment includes antilock brakes, heated front seats, electric windows, alloy wheels, cruise control and a full leather interior.
There are seat belt pretensioners, headrests for all seats, daytime running lights and four air bags -- two in the dash and one each in the front seats.
The body is fully galvanized to fight off rust.
The interior boasts a large single instrument binnacle, stacked, unlike the original with full instrumentation.
"The new Beetle is almost futuristic. It (will) appeal to people who fondly recall the past as well as young people who have no connection to the original car at all," says Clive Warrilow, President and CEO of Volkswagen of America.
Across the world, more people have registered interest in the new Beetle than the factory can supply, great news for any carmaker. The challenge for VW now is to meet expectations in terms of price, performance, quality and supply.