Report: Next Volkswagen Beetle to use Jetta platform
Time keeps on slippin' into the future, and cars keep on gettin' bigger. The Volkswagen New Beetle was shown at the LA Auto Show in various Final Edition guises, and the second word on the next edition is that it will be built on the Jetta platform. The first word was that Volkswagen wants the bubbleback's next design to be more masculine, which probably means – and this is just a guess – you can kiss that flower vase goodbye.
All of this rumormongering comes out of the UK's Autocar magazine, who opine that an increase in size would also help up the masculinity factor and make for more room in that Leprechaun-sized back seat. The current Jetta's wheelbase is 101.5 inches, whereas the New Beetle measures up at 98.80 inches. Those 2.7 inches don't sound like a lot of extra room to play with – especially when considering the New Beetle's rainbow canopy – but with some imaginative design and innovative packaging, a noticeable improvement doesn't seem out of reach.
[Source: Autocar]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Luis 5:04PM (1/12/2010)
When will the upsizing STOP!? People buy the bug because it's cute and small. Not because they want to carry four 6' 240lb people and all their luggage around.
Reply
John P 5:07PM (1/12/2010)
Agree. upsizing a beetle is pretty lame.
zamafir 7:06PM (1/12/2010)
Are you at all familiar with how vw builds cars? The outgoing beetle is also based on the jetta platform, and the old golf and gti. They're all the MkV platform.
It doesn't take too much thinking to realize it's going to be about the same size, just as we know the ncc is going to be the new jetta, isn't any longer, but sports a longer wheelbase pushing the wheels closer to the corners of the car, reducing overhang.
There's no reasonable excuse to fear the beetle will be 'upsized'. Not in this article, not according to vw... unless you have documentation we're not privy to.
Luis 8:22PM (1/12/2010)
Well then they should make it on the Polo platform and compete against the Mini and Fiat 500.
AMcA 8:43PM (1/12/2010)
The Beetle, Golf and Jetta are all on the same platform.
It's just different wheelbases.
Mayoman 5:10PM (1/12/2010)
Tho I don't really agree with the upsizing, getting it off the MK IV platform and onto the current one can only be a good thing.
Reply
HotRodzNKustoms 5:10PM (1/12/2010)
VW has forgotten what made the old and new Beetle amazing sales success.
Reply
jrejre 5:18PM (1/12/2010)
Funny, the other day I passed a couple old beetles and realized how gigantic the new one is in comparison and thought "hmm, they really need to shrink the beetle down".
Guess they had other thoughts.
Reply
Shiftright 5:18PM (1/12/2010)
The New Beetle isn't even that small. Park it next to a Golf and it looks bigger. The problem is with the function-follows-trendy-design curved roof that compromises interior space.
Reply
James 12:11AM (1/13/2010)
Exactly!
I remember seeing a VW New Beetle on the streets one day while visiting Tokyo and thinking, "My god, the New Beetle is gigantic!"
It's not actually that small... but I think VW will keep it roughly the same size... or I hope...
MikeofLA 5:31PM (1/12/2010)
Now all the need to do is put the engine and drive wheels back where they belong. It couldn't be that hard to just flip the FF/FWD setup to a RR/RWD
Reply
Beast 8:45PM (1/12/2010)
Yeah, just flip the inside around. Easy
Joe 6:38AM (1/13/2010)
You obviously have no engineering background. Easy. Just like how easy it is for Ford to just throw an IRS in the back of the Mustang on a whim.
MikeofLA 1:11PM (1/13/2010)
@Joe
*Sarcasm... Thanks for playing
Kaveh 5:49PM (1/12/2010)
The new Beetle is cute, but way to huge. Parking next to one in my Jetta you can totally tell that it is bigger. The next one should be either a nice coupe size, or a Audi TT size car. But if the new one is AWD I might have to get one.
Reply
Blacksabre 6:06PM (1/12/2010)
Amazingly, it's the Italians who haven't forgotten the old Beetle's size, since they also had a Beetle sized car, back them, called the Fiat 500.
Guess what? They still do have the Fiat 500, and it's still small, like the old Beetle and Fiat 500. It's also cute as puppies, gets great mileage, and actually has a credible performance model called the Abarth.
Check it out, cause it's coming to your local Chrysler dealer, this year, in regular, electric and Abarth trim.
Oh...and it also won't bankrupt you.
Reply
indijanac 6:08PM (1/12/2010)
Old Fiat 500 was a lot smaller than the Beetle, and new Fiat, although still small, is a larger than the old one. Just like the New Beetle.
indijanac 6:07PM (1/12/2010)
Isn't the New Beetle already on the Golf platform which the same as the Jetta platform but with a trunk. Is this saying that the new Beetle will be a sedan?
Reply
montoym 7:10PM (1/12/2010)
Yeah, that confused me too.
Basically, what I read out of this is that the next Beetle is going to be just like the previous one, built on the Golf platform (which is the basis for the Jetta).
Doesn't seem as though there's really any news here if this AB story from October is any indication.
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/12/report-next-new-beetle-will-have-bigger-back-seat/
quote - "Jacoby says the next Beetle will have a larger rear quarters and better packaging, without growing much beyond its current dimensions." -
A bump up to the new platform sure would seems to satisfy those requirements.
Jimbo 7:21PM (1/12/2010)
I think the confusion comes from earlier rumors that the Beetle would use the Up! platform.