Oprah Winfrey teased her audience Monday with a full-size silhouette of the 2012 Volkswagen New Beetle's profile design and told the 275 men and women in her Chicago studio they would each get one of the cars when it goes on sale in the autumn of 2011.
No, the car behind the curtain doesn't tell you half of what the spy shots say, though it's no less than what "The Oprah Winfrey Show"'s audience got to see. Oprah says she drives a New Beetle. VW is giving away 275 to Monday's audience, including taxes and fees.
Devotees of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" broadcast in the nascent days of the original VW Type 1 Bug in the U.S. will recognize the simple, elegant white lines on a black background, like those used for that show's opening credits. Unlike the 1999-11 New Beetle, the new one isn't quite as rotund as the famous suspense film director. VW confirms what spy shots have revealed; that the next Beetle will be a little bit more sleek, losing some of the curve in its greenhouse.
That curve served as a distinct, easily recognized look for the New Beetle, though it meant ample front-seat headroom at the expense of rear-seat headroom.
Beyond that, VW revealed precious little information about the '12 New Beetle. It will be available with the 2.0-liter turbo four and Volkswagen's new 2.0-liter turbodiesel engine. The company won't say whether there again will be a loss-leader base model, with, for example the 2.5-liter I-5 or even the iron-block 2.0-liter four that has reappeared in the value-priced version of the 2011 Jetta.
VW will launch a cabrio after the Beetle coupe's fall '11 on-sale date, probably no earlier than spring of '12. And VW plans to vastly expand its list of accessories and custom options, jumping on the Mini/Fiat 500 bandwagon. Volkswagen will have a full reveal of the design next spring. VW hasn't decided whether to introduce it at the New York International Auto Show.
Thanks to: Motor Trend