Volkswagen announces models, pricing for 2012 Beetle

Twelve years after it re-introduced the Beetle, Volkswagen has announced pricing for the third-generation of its classic “people’s car.”

The new 2012 “21st Century” Beetle will start $18,995, offering a more muscular design that honors the Beetle’s past with revisions that offer a stronger, more powerful coupe.

Unlike the other options in its segment, few vehicles offer consumers the heritage and character of the Volkswagen Beetle.

“Cross shoppers might consider the Mini Cooper or Fiat 500,” said Jesse Toprak, VP of Industry Trends and Insights at TrueCar.com, but “most consumers looking to purchase the Beetle are already determined to buy it.”

Traditionally, the Volkswagen Beetle has appealed to a primarily female audience.  The Volkswagen New Beetle was in 20101 the first choice among women shoppers with 60.6 percent of the registrations. One year earlier, the Volkswagen Beetle placed highest among woman shoppers with 56.1 percent of the registrations.

The 2012 Beetle features sportier, more dynamic, and bolder styling. It is also 3.3 inches wider, 6.0 inches longer, and 0.5 inches lower, giving the car a more muscular appearance that has a broader appeal to male and female new car shoppers.

The 21st Century Beetle will be available in three trim lines, some of which include the new transparent, panoramic tilt/slide glass sunroof 80 percent longer than on the previous model.

The Beetle comes standard with eight-speaker sound system, as well as an optional premium audio system that features a CD changer, interface for SD cards, and touchscreen controls. The 21st Century Beetle also boasts concert-quality sound options thanks to an exclusively designed Fender Premium Audio System that combines quality automotive engineering and quality sound engineering, to bring the raw emotion of live music to the driving experience.

The 170-horsepower/2.5-liter inline-five-cylinder model has a starting MSRP of $18,995 and offers fuel economy that is improved by up to 10 percent over past 2.5-liter models. “The Beetle is a statement car for most buyers,” said Toprak. “At this price, the 2ist Century Beetle is priced right, but there’s no competition to compare it with.”

Mileage is estimated at 22 mpg city/31 mpg highway, when outfitted with the five-speed manual transmission. The optional six-speed automatic is expected to offer EPA fuel economy ratings of 22 mpg city/29 mpg highway.

The 2.5-liter model comes standard with a split folding rear seat, auxiliary inputs for portable audio players, a leather steering wheel, unique and customizable 17-inch alloy wheels, and an eight-speaker audio system.

Options include an additional glovebox similar to that found in the original Beetle, Bluetooth handsfree connectivity technology, iPod connectivity, heated front seats, three-color interior ambient lighting, and leatherette seating surfaces.

The sportiest model — the 200-horsepower/2.0-liter turbocharged, sequentially injected engine — will have a starting MSRP of $23,395. This model produces 207 lb-ft of torque when mated to the automatic transmission and offers an EPA fuel economy rating of 30 mpg on the highway and 22 mpg city.

The 2.0-iter TSI model features a standard six-speed manual transmission, as well as the option of Volkswagen’s dual-clutch automatic transmission. In addition to the standard equipment found on the 2.5-liter model, the 2.0-liter model adds Bluetooth handsfree connectivity technology, iPod integration, three-color ambient lighting, larger brakes with red calipers, a “kaeferfach” additional glovebox similar to that of the original Beetle, 18-inch alloy wheels, rear spoiler, foglights, three additional dashboard gauges, and alloy pedals.

A turbocharged directed injected (TDI) clean diesel model will also become available in 2012, powered by Volkswagen’s 140-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged engine producing 236 lb-ft of torque. Volkswagen is expecting highway fuel economy of 40 mpg.

The Beetle includes Volkswagen’s advanced Intelligent Crash Response System that shuts off the fuel pump, unlocks the doors, and switches on the hazard lights if the car is involved in some types of collisions. The Beetle is also covered under the no-charge, 3-year/36,000-mile scheduled Carefree Maintenance Program.

Source: Volkswagen of America

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Posted in: Automotive,Car

Best beaches to swing a hammock

1. Dahab, Egypt

Dahab means ‘gold’ in Arabic – a name given to the area because of its golden sands. With a unique location on the edge of the Sinai desert, Dahab certainly remains an untapped treasure; budget accommodation almost on the beach means you can virtually roll out of your sleeping bag and into the water. Backed by mountain ranges, Dahab’s Bedouin settlement, Assalah, is a favoured beach-bum haunt, with unspoilt charm and chilled beachside

cafes, while up the coast are favoured and famous diving spots. Expensive resort-style hotels are at El Kura, where the bus stops; Assalah village in Mashraba Bay is much more chilled.

2. Curonian Spit, Lithuania

This 98km lick of sand is a wondrous mixture of dunes (some as high as 200m) and forest – the smell of pine will impart an otherworldly quality to your hammock time. Wilhelm von Humboldt believed that a trip to the Curonian Spit was essential nourishment for the soul, and Thomas Mann was also drawn to this timeless wonderland. It’s said that around 14 villages are buried under the endless, shifting dunes, making the Spit a kind of
Baltic Sahara. The towering 52m ‘Great Dune’ is in Nida; to get there take the ferry from Klaipeda to Neringa (costs around €10 per car), then drive or cycle 50km.

3. Jambiani, Tanzania

This the Beach that Time Forgot, where men in fishing dhows set sail at sunset for the reefs, women gather seaweed daily, and people like you are constantly boiling to a crisp under the baking sun. There’s not much to do here (certainly not swimming; tides are low) except loll about and crack open a few coconuts. Remember: you’re inZanzibar, Mythical Africa, so just kick back and drink it (or your coconut milk) in. Rent a bike from the fishing village to explore the beach’s limits; ask a local fisherman to take you for a boat ride at dusk so you can see the beach in all its sun-dappled glory.

4. Kerala Coast, India

Beachy types generally don’t hop up and down with glee when India is mentioned, but those in the know are enraptured. Tucked in along India’s 600km-long Kerala coast is a string of coconut-palm-fringed beaches adjoining lulling surf and bluest-of-blue waters. There are the larger resorts, such as Kovalam, but also many more unspoilt delights where your hammock will be overworked as you gaze at rub-your-eyes-raw semicircular bays, or expanses of sand so long you’ll think they’re a mirage. Thrillingly, there’ll be no one else around to pinch you and tell you you’re dreaming. The spa at Varkala Papanasam Beach is the best spot to watch the sunset;
follow the pilgrim trail 42km from Thiruvanathapuram.

5. Pulau Perhentian, Malaysia

The palm-fringed beaches of the Perhentian Islands, covered in tropical rainforest, are about as natural as they come: calm, hassle-free and with virtually no signs of commercialisation. Except for snorkelling, diving, frolicking, swimming, sunning your body or pretending you’re either Brooke Shields or Christopher Atkins inThe Blue Lagoon (1980), there’s nothing to do. Depart from either the Tok Bali or the nearer Kuala Besut jetty; speed boats take about half as long as regular ferries, which make the trip in about 1½ to two hours.

6. Kai Islands, Indonesia

There’s a growing chorus that says these remote white-sand beaches are the finest the world has to offer. Development has been slow around the Kai archipelago, so the beaches remain unspoilt and as nature intended. If you’re not big on pristine powdery sands, azure seas, rare and varicoloured birds, arresting fish and wondrous coral reefs, then stay away. Everyone else: enjoy. Upon arrival at Pasir Panjang or Kei Kecil, you’ll find locals ready to organise accommodation for you in a basic beach cottage; ensure that the agreed price includes the daily delivery of fresh water and meals.

7. Isla Mujeres, Mexico

This unpretentious island off shore from Cancún, just 7km long and barely 1km wide, is light years away from the glitzy mainland scene. Its tropical beaches make it a cult fave, with those on the south side known for calm turquoise waters. For get-on-down Caribbean fun, visit Playa Norte, a popular beach with waiters who’ll bring drinks to your spot on the sand. More secluded options include Playa Paraiso and Playa Indios. Boat tours run by fishing cooperatives disembark along Rueda Medina; hire mopeds, bikes, or golf carts once on the island. For more see www.isla-mujeres .com.mx.

8. North Stradbroke Island, Australia

Straddie is among the world’s largest sand islands – and ’sand’ equals ‘beach’, right? The Queensland island’s 30km white sand Main Beach is backed by an expanse of dunes, making it popular with 4WDs. There are a number
of more secluded spots around Point Lookout. Here, the only thing to do is surf, sun yourself, and perhaps paddle in rock pools teeming with marine life, or watch whales or some unique Aussie animals. From the mainland, the Big Red Cat ferry runs up to 16 trips a day, seven days a week; for details see www.seastradbroke.com.

9. Ko Pha-Ngan, Thailand

A lovely island, with mostly deserted beaches that are perfect for solitude lovers and infatuated couples… except
for Hat Rin, which holds its famous full-moon parties every month, perfect for hedonists and pleasure seekers.
Surrounded by coconut trees and mountains, the twin beaches of Thong Nai Pan are a favourite of the Thai royals,
which probably explains why development has been kept at bay. The bliss is so overwhelming as to be almost (almost) unbearable. Tha Laem Nai is the lagoon depicted in The Beach by Alex Garland; for information about the marine park visit www.phangan.info.

10. Punalu’u, USA

Hawai’i’s black-sand wonderland has won a few ‘best beach’ awards in recent times, and it’s truly an astonishing sight: Punalu’u’s startling blue waters lap up against the jetblack beach, which is backed by rows of deep-green coconut palms. This is one place where your hammock will really come in handy – it’s scenery that demands your constant, supine contemplation – and you might even spot a hawksbill turtle wandering onto the sand to lay its eggs. Don’t touch them, though – they’re an endangered species. Hawksbill turtles (known locally as Honu’ea) nest here from May to September but remember - hands off. Human bacteria can prove deadly.


Source : http://www.lonelyplanet.com

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Posted in: Quick News