Volkswagen hoping buyers stick around for New Beetle styling gimmick
In an effort to keep British consumers interested in the New Beetle, Volkswagen has unveiled a line of vinyl graphics dubbed 'Beetle Art' to offer buyers another way to personalize their Bugs.
VW is initially offering four designs of the decals, dubbed 'Mud Splats,' 'Taking Flight,' 'It's All Mine' and 'Chasing Rainbows,' each with a unique artist and story behind them. The company promises that the designs will last for three years, and can be removed without any paint damage.
No word yet on if VW's in-house art car options will cross the Pond.
Click on the link for VW's microsite on Beetle Art.
[Sources: Volkswagen UK; MotorTorque at AskaPrice.com]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tim UF 5:09PM (5/04/2006)
looks like the fiat500 thing posted yesterday
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Brian 5:27PM (5/04/2006)
Do the stickers come with a life-sized Barbie doll to complete the look?
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Razib Ahmed 5:31PM (5/04/2006)
I like the design but I think that people will admire the design more than to actually buy one of them. Well, who knows the design may become extremely popular too.
I think that Volkswagen bosses should consider setting up of a assembly plant in India as Nissan is doing so. Nissan is taking India and China very seriously and plans to produce 900,000 cars (http://www.southasiabiz.com/2006/05/nissan_setting_up_assembly_pla.html) annually from the emerging markets.
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Crusin' 5:45PM (5/04/2006)
"Do the stickers come with a life-sized Barbie doll to complete the look?"
No! But you can purchase an optional rainbow door sticker :)
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Crusin' 5:48PM (5/04/2006)
Oops! They do offer a 'Chasing Rainbows'! ROFL!!!!
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Howard Kerr 5:53PM (5/04/2006)
Apparently the New Beetle is not selling as well in the U.K. as it is in the 'states. With some many other cars to chose from, I can understand why.
Here's what the editors of Britain's CAR magazine has to say about the Beetle:
FOR: Was cool for a nanosecond
AGAINST: A few years back
"A very stale joke might be revived by new Disney film" (That in reference to the new Herbie movie.)
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jamie 6:05PM (5/04/2006)
"You can have any color you want, as long as it's black." - Henry Ford
Well, we finally got rid of that notion. But now it's about time that car manufacturers got really radical.
Metallic paint?...been there done that
Two tone?...ancient history
Same color bumpers?...Yesh, how original is that?
Yahoo for VW for breaking out of the mold! They'll be missing a lot of sales if they don't bring this idea across the pond. Heck, I'd even go for one!
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Jonathan 8:41PM (5/04/2006)
In 2000, the pre-release hype for the New Beetle was huge in the UK. People were buying left-hand drive models because the proper right-hand drive Beetle wasn't yet available.
Apparently MINI's sales are slowing too. I wonder if the "retro" styling fad will be shortlived in North America as well...
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Justin Bell 9:31PM (5/04/2006)
Some of those graphics are nice ... but not on a bloody car.
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Dave-in-pa 10:29PM (5/04/2006)
I've always wondered who said cars have to be one solid color. (Okay, I guess Henry Ford said it, but he's long gone.) It's a cool idea, but it wouldn't convince me to buy a car I wouldn't have bought otherwise.
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Alan 12:15AM (5/05/2006)
I think the New Beetle has outlived it's usefulness. VW hasn't updated it much since 1998. Even though the Jetta, GTI, and now the Golf/Rabbit have been redesigned, the New Beetle has received only modest updates. It is the only VW that doesn't do well on the side impact crashes, and it is stuck in the last generation.
For VW, the next "cute" car seems to be the EOS. It's quite a bit more expensive, though. I think that's part of the reason for bringing back the Rabbit name. Retro has moved on.
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Cameron 10:56AM (5/05/2006)
I like it, and I'd buy one. Yes, I'm male, no I'm not gay (not a jab at those who are - keep doin' what you do!). I just like the car.
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