VW Beetle News

Volkswagen has pushed up the power for the new half-model year. For 2013.5 (yep, this isn't a 2013 and it's not quite a 2014), the 2.0-liter turbocharged TSI engine offered in the Beetle Turbo, Beetle Turbo Convertible and Jetta GLI now makes 210 horsepower, an increase of 10 ponies over the previous version of the long-running engine. Torque remains ...

Less Flower, More Power Pardon our political incorrectness for a moment, but the Volkswagen New Beetle was, undeniably, a "chick car." There was almost nothing that the New Beetle offered to enthusiasts (of either gender), and by the end of its run, VW had even stripped all of the exciting engines from the car's lineup. Looking to resurrect some of the ...

No matter what your feelings toward the Volkswagen Beetle, you should respect the little runabout. With 75 years of production under its belt and some 21 million units unleashed on the world, odds are everyone knows someone with a Beetle. The crew at Petrolicious has finally gotten around to paying homage to the ubiquitous rear-engine German machine in ...

Lamborghini Veneno, Geneva Motor Show, Jaguar 3 Series challenger, Cheaper Corvette rumors Episode #323 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Michael Harley and Jeff Ross talk about the Lamborghini Veneno, Geneva Auto Show, a Jaguar 3 Series challenger and rumors of a lower-cost Corvette. We wrap with your questions and emails, and for ...

Convertibles make you do funny things. Ask someone if they'd drive a hardtop in near freezing temperatures with all the windows down and they might not even answer, thinking the question so ridiculous. Give that same person a convertible they love and you might just have to ask them to please put the top up even when snow is on the ground. That guy has ...

Volkswagen just launched the topless Beetle Convertible at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, but we're already seeing the next step forward in the topless Bug range with this, the R-Line. We'll admit, this treatment falls under the "all show and no go" category, but it's still a pretty potent little cutie. The R-Line starts with a standard Beetle ...

Way back in 1973, Volkswagen decided it was high time to take the loveable air-cooled Bug racing. No, it wasn't painted in Herbie colors – Volkswagen called its sport-tuned machine the Beetle GSR, "Gelb Schwarzer Renner" or "Yellow Black Racer." Hence, the somewhat shocking paint scheme. VW is bringing its sporty black and yellow Beetle back for ...

Volkswagen has chosen to really expand its performance-tuned portfolio at this year's Chicago Auto Show, bringing along a couple of new Beetles destined for model year 2014, as well as a pair of freshened GTI packages that you'll be able to buy almost right away. The first, and splashiest of the Chicago goodies on the VW stand has got to be the 2014 ...

Brace yourself for another tidal wave of Super Bowl commercials. Volkswagen has released its spot for this year's big game. Set to air during the second quarter, the Get Happy spot follows one jubilant office worker as he makes his way through the day, spreading joy wherever he goes. The source of his happiness? A Volkswagen Beetle, of course. Now, if ...

Sometimes you meet folks who, when they tell you "Hey, I have an idea," your reflex response is to stop what you're doing and tell yourself, "Get ready...." We imagine Mike Niemans is one of those folks, and the idea in question is putting a tank engine on a Type 1 Volkswagen Beetle. Not just any old tank engine – as if there were such a thing when ...