Many Pinoys love the old Beetle for all its novelty. (Pendong! Peace!) Personally, I fancied driving one before but as my motoring taste sort of evolved, I found it rather annoying as a machine. The engine’s in the wrong place. You can’t have air-conditioning without having to complicate its setup. And I hate how it sort of putters along. The new Beetle’s more of an accessory item for the rich than a proper fun car so I sort of hate that as well.
Anyway, here’s Volkswagen with the a limited edition exclusively for the US market – the Volkswagen Beetle Black Turbo Launch Edition made available through VW’s Vehicle Pre-Order online program.
The Launch Edition is based on the standard 197 hp 2.0L TSI model. The brakes have been uprated and feature red calipers. The car sits on 18-inch rims and a rear spoiler has been added to the kit. It’s in black and has a “turbo” decal slapped on the sides. But unlike most stuff pretentiously labeled “turbo,” the car really is.
Fancy stuff include Bluetooth and iPod connectivity sports seats. The car’s priced at a starting $24,950 – about Php 1.1M without the shipping, tax, duties if you decide to buy one in the US and ship it here.