Volkswagen has commenced testing the new Beetle in our country and the 2011 model will be launched in India towards the end of this year.
When launched in the Indian market back in 2009, the Volkswagen Beetle was a niche offering that did not find many buyers. Customers didn’t find the Beetle to be a good proposition and the vehicle only went on to become a favorite among women, much against the company’s aim of retailing it as a gender neutral car. Volkswagen launched an updated version of the iconic Beetle back in 2011 and did not bring it to India because its performance was not expected to change due to its high price tag.
Anyhow, the German car major is now considering to bring back the Beetle to India by the end of this year much to the amusement of its fans in the country. The third generation Beetle is a big improvement over the old model as the new version is bigger, bolder and has more room in the cabin as well. Its new bumper design along with those massive wheel arches makes the new Beetle look much better. It has larger alloy wheels and comes with an integrated rear spoiler as well. Overall, the new Beetle looks more masculine and also serves as a better proposition thanks to the much improved interiors.
In international markets, the new Volkswagen Beetle gets its power from a range of turbocharged petrol and diesel engines and the vehicle will most likely be offered in India with the 1.4-litre TSI unit, which also powers the Jetta and Octavia models. The vehicle was imported some three months back for homologation and test mules of the Beetle have also been spotted testing in the country. Volkswagen is yet to confirm the exact time of the car’s launch and the new Beetle is expected to find buyers from the elite class because of its expected price tag of Rs. 35 lakhs (ex-showroom).
Source – AutocarIndia.com
