Autoblog

Geek Squad's famous Beetle gets updated courtesy of West Coast Customs

Jeffrey N. Ross — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 14:15:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Hatchback, Volkswagen

The LA-based crew at West Coast Customs and the tie-wearing computer techs at Best Buy's Geek Squad might not have much in common, but the two companies will now be forever linked thanks to a tricked-out version of the Geekmobile. In most cities across the US, the Geek Squad vehicle of choice is the Volkswagen New Beetle, but West Coast Customs went to town on a new-body Beetle showing what the cars could look like in a newer, hipper design. The car was unveiled by WCC project manager, Scott Voinovich, and Geek Squad City Mayor, Wes Snyder.

Starting with a base 2.5-liter Beetle, this custom Beetle sports a similar black-and-white paint job like the standard Geekmobile, but it adds in a little WCC flair with plenty of graffiti-style graphics incorporated into the main colors. The car also has the expected "Geek Squad" logo on it, but it is the orange racing stripe and oversized wheels that easily distinguish it from the typical version of the car. West Coast Customs also replaced all exterior Volkswagen logos with its own logo. Inside, the graphics and orange paint carried over, and other finishing touches including cross-stitched seats, embroidered headrests and a massive subwoofer in the cargo area.

The car and its build will be featured on an episode of Inside West Coast Customs that will air on the Velocity channel next month, but don't expect to see this car pull up into your driveway next time you have a computer problem - it will be on display at the Geek Squad City in Louisville, KY alongside a 2001 turbocharged Geekmobile.

Geek Squad's famous Beetle gets updated courtesy of West Coast Customs originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 13 Dec 2012 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Best Buy Geek Squads to start testing Mitsubishi i-MiEV

Sebastian Blanco — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:58:00 EST

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Hatchback, Mitsubishi, Specialty, Electric

Mitsubishi Geek Squad i-MiEV - Click above for high-res image gallery

While Mitsubishi didn't unveil any new vehicles at the LA Auto Show today, company president Osamu Masuko did announce the latest step in his company's plan to bring plug-in vehicles to North America. The vehicle - well, one of them - is an all-electric i-MiEV plastered with Best Buy's Geek Squad logo. The electronics giant will start using them in January (after they're shown off at CES) at some Geek Squad locations in California. Details have not yet been totally worked out, but the Geek EVs will start with a fleet of four vehicles and then expand and rotate to other stores over the course of three years. Most likely, the i-MiEVs will be doled out in pairs and the probable early cities where these vehicles will make house calls include Chicago, New York, Portland and San Francisco.

Best Buy plans to use the i-MiEVs just like any other fleet car, with the exception that they will be right-hand drive. Best Buy's Senior Vice President of emerging business, Rick Rommel, told AutoblogGreen that the idea is to learn "how these will fit into a Geek's daily life." The plug-in vehicle tests with Geek Squad are unrelated to how select West Coast Best Buy stores are selling electric bikes. That said, Rommel admits that the key thing is that Best Buy likes to conduct new experiments, and these EVs fit into that general concept.

Gallery: Best Buy Geek Squad i-MIEV

Continue reading Best Buy Geek Squads to start testing Mitsubishi i-MiEV

Best Buy Geek Squads to start testing Mitsubishi i-MiEV originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Geek Squad dumping VWs for Lamborghinis in preparation for Windows Vista*

Chris Paukert — Wed, 17 May 2006 10:55:00 EST

Filed under: Gadgets, Budget, Etc., Technology, Hatchback, Supercars, Lamborghini, Volkswagen

Best Buy Corporation is exchanging its ranks of Geek Squad Volkswagen New Beetles for something a little faster in preparation for the release of Windows Vista. With an expected deluge of work brought about by the new operating system, the black and white VWs favored by Geek Squad cadets are being dispensed with in favor of a fleet of Lamborghini Countaches.

According to an official spokesman, the company anticipates being "'...busier than a spyware-saddled 486 processor... once that first Vista security patch hits the streets six to eight hours after launch, it's going to be like the Indianapolis 500 out there...'"

Click through to the link for more details

(*Warning: At Autoblog, we loves us some quality satire!)

[Sources: BBSpot.com; Ggaub.com]

Geek Squad dumping VWs for Lamborghinis in preparation for Windows Vista* originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 May 2006 10:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments