The all new Beetle is coming to Malaysia and its launch timing is perfect (September 6th 2012) for Malaysians to use up some of their Hari Raya bonus. Looking at the possible 2 engine variants to be introduced we can assume that the selling price will not be far off from the earlier Beetle pricing, which puts it in reach to most middle class Malaysians. The styling follows the Volkswagen design DNA created by Walter de Silva and Klaus Bischoff. It clearly expresses itself in the horizontal image of the front bumper, front air inlet, straight lines of the bonnet edges, the precisely drawn line between the A-pillar and C-pillar and the styling of the rear lights. This new Beetle is 1,808 mm wide (84 mm wider), 1,486 mm tall (12 mm lower) and 4,278 mm long (152 mm longer). This has resulted in entirely new proportions. The gain in length meant that the roof could be extended further, the front windscreen could be shifted back, and the rear section could follow the contour of the original Beetle. The new focal point is the C-pillar. In parallel, the development team increased the car’s track widths and wheelbase. All of this gives the VW Beetle a powerful appearance with muscular tension.
The most fuel-efficient petrol engined Beetle will be the 1.2 TSI with BlueMotion Technology (including Stop/Start system and battery regeneration) and 105 PS with a top speed of 180 km/h. It has a combined fuel consumption of 5.5 l/100 km (129 g/km CO2). The comparable previous model (75 kW / 102 PS) consumed 7.5 l/100 km. Savings: 2.0 l/100 km or 27 percent. The most powerful version with 200 PS will be the GTI powered 225 km/h VW Beetle 2.0 TSI with 200 PS of power. It will consume just 7.4 l/100 km and should be the best selling variant from the current 17 model lineup that Volkswagen Group offers in Malaysia.
More information to come in weeks.
