2015 R-Line Concept

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Volkswagen celebrates 60 years of Beetle heritage

New York, New York — Volkswagen of America, Inc., today announced that it will produce the all-wheel-drive Golf SportWagen Alltrack for the U.S. market beginning in 2016, and showed four unique Beetle and Beetle Convertible models that help to commemorate Volkswagen of America’s 60th anniversary.

Beetle

The Beetle has been an almost continuous thread through Volkswagen’s history in America, beginning with the first Volkswagens to arrive in 1949 and continuing through the New Beetle and the current generation car. New York has been tied in with that history, too. The first two Beetle vehicles were shipped to the U.S. via New York, VWoA’s first headquarters was in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, and the current Beetle made its debut at the New York Show in 2011.

Volkswagen is showing four Beetle concepts at the 2015 New York Auto Show, all of which pay homage to the Beetle’s past while providing a glimpse at a possible future direction for the vehicle. There are two coupes and two convertibles, all of which could make it into production in the near future.

Beetle R-Line concept

Today’s Beetle differs conceptually from the New Beetle, having a lower roof and longer hood to give sportier lines, even though its silhouette features the iconic graphic of three semi-circles for the front and rear fenders and the roof. The Beetle R-Line concept, powered by a 217-hp 2.0-liter TSI engine, takes this further and makes an extremely sporty statement.

The Beetle R-Line concept is finished in Oryx White Pearl effect paint and has a customized exterior featuring aggressive bumpers that have large air vents at the front and wrap-around high-gloss black moldings that extend down the sides of the car. Other visual changes include a rear diffuser, painted black exterior mirror caps, a large rear spoiler and 20-inch Monterey aluminum-alloy wheels. The Beetle R-Line concept is 0.6 inches wider than the standard production car.

The interior is equipped with upgraded sport bucket seats. In addition, numerous interior features, including the dashpad, door inserts and steering wheel spoke trim, have a carbon fiber-style finish. Forming a distinctive contrast is the yellow finish of the instruments and the decorative stitching in the cabin.

Turbocharged direct-injection engines. Volkswagen has long been a leader in turbocharged and direct-injection technology, and U.S. Beetle models use these engines exclusively. Currently, U.S. Beetles are powered by 1.8- and 2.0-liter turbocharged and direct-injection TSI gasoline engines making 170 and 210 hp respectively, as well as by a 2.0-liter TDI® Clean Diesel engine. This produces 150 hp and achieves an EPA estimated highway fuel economy rating of 40 mpg for the Convertible and 41 mpg for the Coupe.


This page last modified: 2015-06-18