Volkswagen is going back to its roots as the car for the people by unwrapping the official MSRP of the next generation Beetle. With a starting price of $18,995, the 2012 Beetle will be a very obtainable German with numerous standard features and options. Larger but lower than the previous generation, the next Beetle is much more sleek and aggressive than it’s cute and bubbly older brother.
That $18,995 price tag will give buyers standard features such as a split folding rear seat, aux-in for portable audio players, a leather steering wheel, unique and customizable 17-inch alloy wheels, and an eight-speaker audio system. The base engine is Volkswagen’s 2.5 liter straight five cylinder with 170 horsepower. With a ten percent fuel economy improvement over previous 2.5 liters, the new Beetle will achieve up to 31 mpg on the highway when fitted with the five speed manual transmission. Buyers will be able to turn their Beetle into a hot-rod by ordering the 2.0 liter, direct injected turbocharged four cylinder from the GTI. With 200 horsepower and 207 lb-ft of torque, the $23,395 Beetle TSI should hit 60 mph in the mid 6 seconds while still able to get 30 mpg on the highway.
Later in 2012, the famous Volkswagen TDI diesel will be offered in the new Beetle. With 236 lb-ft of torque, the TDI will be powerful as well as the most fuel efficient Beetle ever produced with an expected highway rating of 40 mpg.
Expect the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle to go on sale later this year.
