Volkswagen Beetle may grow

By Matt Brogan | January 13th, 2010

A rumour is circulating that VW are thinking about stretching its iconic two door Beetle a few inches for its next model.

The current Beetle has been in production for more than ten years and is overdue for an upgrade. Rumours coming out of the UK suggest the Beetle may grow from 251 cm to 258 cm by using the Jetta platform.

Stefan Jacoby, VW Group of America CEO said in October 2009 the Beetle was expected to receive more back seat space. Jacoby also announced that VW planned to make the New Beetle, which is due 2012 more of a Halo car for the brand. There has been talk of the need to make the car more masculine, VW believes that size matters. Making the car bigger is not the only change the Beetle needs to become more masculine, removal of the Daisy flower vase on the dashboard would be a good start.

The original Beetle was designed to be affordable and was the most successful, the bigger Beetle hasn’t enjoyed the success of the first. So making the next generation even bigger may fix the masculinity problem, but it may price itself out of reach.

Mal

There’s going to be another one?! I hate these things as much as the PT Cruiser. The “new” Beetle seemed kinda cool & novel for a while, but that was 1999.

Audi2002

A lot of things seemed cool & novel in 1999 Like the TV show “Friends”!
Lagoza

Current Beetle is made in Mexico. If the new one is also made in Mexico, we may see the reliability heading even more down hill

Fenno

Jetta is made in mexico already

Gazza

They already have a stretch version of it.
It’s called the Audi TT.

The Real Car Fanatic

Yes it is so stretched over and above the Beetle, VAG managed an extra 52 mm in length whilst shrinking the wheelbase by 49mm. Check your facts before trying to be funny Gazza.

BFSTORM

Yes Gazza, I also question your funniness after seeing this point. Next time before you attempt to be funny please check your facts, like the halfwit above has demonstrated how to do. By the way those measurements are wrong, do some more research.

Baddass

As long as it is going rear-engine again, I’m happy. A serious fault of the former New Beetle was the fact that it had poor packaging compared to it’s predecessor, and has minimal space inside. Another fault is the rear windscreen wraps slightly over the rear passenger seats and thus lets the sun in. I recently went in a family member’s Beetle on a 5-hour trip, and because of this slight design fault, I was severely burnt on my neck. Not only was it fairly uncomfortable for me in the back seat (I’m a tall guy and the legroom wasn’t great), I had to stare at that bloody flower for 5-hours! Of course, in this car, design is everything. And without wanting to put my masculinity in question, I did grow fond of its looks.
Myke

A halo model?
I thought the next-gen was going to be a supermini like the VW Up?
Golfschwein

To my eternal shame, I bought one of these in 2004, and reluctantly so for commercial reasons. Well, ain’t ever doing that again!

It was the most useless, poorest performing and worst suspended car I’ve ever owned and I offloaded it at atrocious cost to upgrade to something that I actually wanted – the Golf. It’s ironic that you can buy the most useless and most useful cars from the same showroom.

Its pluses were its gearbox, novelty and finish but they were outnumbered by the negatives.

David T

Sham, shame, shame.
May just as well as admitted to owning a Camira, buying Telstra shares or sleeping with your sister.

Peter

were you Beetleshwein then?

Golfschwein

No. The attitude arrived AFTER I owned it

Twenty five years ago, I was Toranaschwein, I guess. You’ve started something, Peter. Stop it!
Andrew M

Ha ha ha,
Beetleshwein,
I wish I had have thought of it first, ha ha ha

Golfschwein

Fortunately, I only ever bought telstra shares and slept with my sister. The Camira? NO WAY!!!

My sister said I was quite good, actually.

Andrew M

Gee isnt this little blog filled with humour…..
Come on Golfie, quit with the family stories and say something funny….

Callous Aussie

He did. Everyone else laughed. But no surprise you missed it.

I think VW putting a vase in the car was an indication they only wanted people from Woodstock to buy it. It was a failure. I have seen them in yards up here for 8-9 Grand. Sad for a car that was mid 30′s.

They should focus on getting the reliability issues with some of the other models sorted and bin the Beetle.
Andrew M

Actually Callus,
You missed it.

I know golfie as a person other than just a poster on this website.
Trust me, out of the 3 of us, you would obviously be the one it didnt click with
http://mymaties.com VDub Fan

Its an absolute shame to think that a bunch of Car fanatics are argueing about something (humorous) instead of debating the latest news about the new VW Beetle. I Guess its VW’s fault then.
Removing the flower pot will be a great idea. Putting in a mid mounted 5 cylinder turbo with all-wheel drive and calling it the RS would surely fix the masculinity problem.
Where do designers go with this kind of car. Its like running into a brick wall. Freedom for thought is so limited in this case. It is an absolute shame that two cars ( one good one bad ) are bought of the same show room. All you car fans should just keep on giving VW S… so that they can fix the problems. Thats what engineers do…. Listen to the customers.

Paul

Now if VW Australia can justify importing the crappy Bettle and not the Scirocco into Australia, they need to look at their managment team, and whoever the hell makes these choices.

WE WANT THE BLOODY SCIROCCO IN AUSTALIA, NOT THE BEETLE! GET RID OF IT!

Marriah

COMPLETELY AGREE!!….Scirocco, subaru impreza RX, honda civic type r , is the exterior STYLE that all car companies should be looking towards for ages 18-25…i mean seriously..you have the piece of metal so just bend it our way!…how hard could it be to make some stylish shapes…just put a dent along the sides and curve the bonnet and back to some sexy eyes….no more beetle, no more round shaped lights, no more box/flat backs and a car should always have shaped buttons that are lighted!!!…..just like the Macbook Pro keyboards. Scirocco all the way….and love the slim front grills.

http://internode.on.net Pete

Actually, guys, the Scirocco IS coming to Oz. I was talking to a dealer friend the other day and he said “yes, definitely coming this year but don’t know wxactly when”.

Shak

Are you absolutely sure? because im in the market for one and was going for a GTI but if tis coming i want to wait.

http://internode.on.net Pete

Shak, I was at the dealers last Monday (test driving a new Golf for my wife). I asked him about upcoming models as I’d heard (from “Drive” in the Herald) that the Golf wagon was about to be released this month. He said he hadn’t heard this but knew there were a few new models coming, for example the Amarok, Golf R20 and Scirocco. Having read the pleas on this site from people who would dearly love to get into this I queried him regarding “when” and he said it is supposed to land later this year “but knowing VW it would probably be even later rather than earlier”.

That’s all I have I’m sorry.

Regards.

Sam 300TD

That couldn’t be the overall length surely. Wheelbase perhaps…..
The Real Car Fanatic

it is the wheelbase, the Beetle is just over 4.1 metres in length.
J Baustian

If the first thing people think when they see the new “Beetle” is “is that the new Porsche?”, then it will be a success.

VW has this plant down in Puebla Mexico that is not being adequately utilized — the New Beetle production line is down to about 25% of capacity. They already have too many fine cars that are not offered in North America because they aren’t built in North America. They should shut down the NB assembly line and start making cars that people want.
MatthewM

The new Beetle was destined to failure when they decided to make it a FF instead of an RR drivetrain layout. It’s not a Beetle, it’s a car you put flower stickers on and give to your daughter for her 18th Birthday.