2006 VW New Beetle: First Look
By Motoring Channel Staff - 26/05/2005
|
Volkswagen 2006 New Beetle
Sixty Years
of the Beetle
Volkswagen officially began manufacturing the
Beetle in 1945, but the ball started rolling in
the mid 1930s when Adolf Hitler hired Ferdinand
Porsche to create a car that could carry two adults
and three children at speeds of up to 60mph (96km/h).
According to Volkswagen, some 1800 Beetles were
produced in 1945. Production steadily increased
under the guidance of Major Ivan Hirst, part of
the British occupying force after WWII ended,
and in just five years, by the early 1950s, the
100,000th Volkswagen (Beetle and Transporter T1
models) had already left the assembly line.
More recently, Volkswagen celebrated its 100
millionth vehicle to wear to the VW badge, more
than a fifth of those vehicles (21.5 million)
being Beetles, securing its place in automotive
history.
- Motoring Channel Staff
|
New bumpers, headlights, brake lights, interior
and engines make up the list of new features
|
Volkswagen of Amerca has released official images of its
new 2006 model New Beetle and New Beetle Convertible.
Despite what look to be very few exterior styling changes,
the new 2006 model Beetles will have a "subtle but stylish
new look that fashionably updates, yet maintains, the core
emotional appeal of the iconic New Beetle design, first launched
in 1998" according to the VW literature.
Volkswagens 2006 Beetle was unveiled in the US because VW
plans to sell the majority of its model there, and is expected
to be launched in Europe, it's second most important market,
at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
According to Volkswagen, the 2006 New Beetle and the convertible
will be launched in September of this year [in the US] and
will come standard with a more powerful new 2.5-litre, 5-cylinder
engine that creates 150 horsepower (versus the 4-cylinder,
2.0-litre that created 115hp). Another significant technical
update is standard traction control with Electronic Stabilisation
Program (ESP).
The 2.5-litre V5 engine that Volkswagen builds is a well
balanced unit and creates 110kW of power, or 150 horsepower,
which may replace the 1.8-litre turbo that currently tops
the New Beetle range in Australia.
Volkswagen says that styling changes for the 2006 New Beetle
include bolder, slightly sharper bodylines, especially at
the wheel wells and bumpers that are tailored for a more modern
overall impression. New details include a larger, more oval
headlight treatment, new taillights, and new bumper designs.
The interior has come in for an upgrade as well, with VW
saying the freshening involves a new instrument cluster design
with chrome applications to the instruments and also the air
vents.
Volkswagen said it will release more details on the 2006
models later this year. The automaker showed the 2006 New
Beetle in conjunction with its 50th anniversary as a subsidiary
in the U.S.
In related Volkswagen news from the other side of the world,
the company has celebrated building its 100 millionth vehicle
to bear the VW badge in Wolfsburg in Germany, a 1.9-litre
diesel Touran in reflex silver metallic.
"Our past success is above all the achievement of our
employees, combined with the diversity of our production plants.
With their experience, we can master current start-ups and
their creative ideas shape our future innovative products
and processes," commented a delighted Reinhard Jung,
member of the Volkswagen brand board of management responsible
for production.
The model range continued to grow after the success of VW's
first mode, the Beetle. Seven Beetle models and a total of
five Golf generations are milestones in this development.
21.5 million Beetles, 23 million Golfs and 13 million Passats,
as well as 9 million Polos are further confirmation of success.
In 2002, Golf production overtook Beetle production figures
and set a new record for the Volkswagen brand.
Volkswagen now builds vehicles all over the world at plants
in Wolfsburg, Emden, Hanover, Mosel, Brussels, Pamplona, Bratislava,
Palmela, Poznan, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa and
China.
In 2004, Volkswagen delivered 3.064 million vehicles to customers
in more than 150 countries around the world (2003: 3.075 million).
The Volkswagen brand has a global workforce of over 133,000.
|
