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LOS
ANGELES -- The Volkswagen Beetle
R concept made its North American debut last Wednesday at the
2011 Los Angeles Auto Show. The three-door hatchback is expected
to have a fuel economy of about 28-30 mpg. It is equipped with
a 2.0-liter turbocharged, 4-cylinder engine. The Beetle R Concept
produces 256 hp with the engine from the Golf R.
The automaker
had the third press conference on the first media day. Also, it
was the third of the conferences held inside the L.A. Convention
Center’s south hall.
Volkswagen
R GmbH, the same people who designed and built the Scirocco R
and the Golf R, designed the Beetle R Concept. It is 1.2 inches
wider than the previous model.
“We
will show with this car what is possible for a sporty Beetle for
the future,“ said Ulrich Richter, executive director of
Volkswagen R GmbH. “Everything on this car is theoretically
possible. We asked customers and we looked here on the market
what the customers are saying. The beginning of next year we will
look if it is possible to build this car or not. I think it’s
a wonderful car for the U.S. market."
It comes
with 20-inch, five-spoke wheels with blue “R” brake
calipers. The Beetle R concept has an oversized lower grille to
provide cool air to the engine and the brakes. The rear of the
vehicle features a rear wing and quad exhaust. The interior of
the vehicle features black Nappa leather and an instrument panel
that comes with a moveable tachometer.
“First,
you see the race seats made with a wider gap to get the right
feature in, “ said Dr. Hendrik Muth, head of marketing for
Volkswagen R GmbH. “You see the R logo also on the seats.
It’s two colors, grey and black. You have the R interior
also here in the entry. Another feature is the race design on
the wheel. There is kind of a black gloss that goes through the
entire car. It gives it a sport, but exclusive look. It gives
you the high-end performance made by Volkswagen.“
The concept
vehicle made its world debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.
The Beetle
R is expected be priced between $19,795 and $24,950 if it goes
into production. If that happens, it would start rolling off the
line in 2014.
