(November 29, 2012) LOS ANGELES — Ever since the type 15 convertible from 1949, the Beetle has been one of the most popular open-top cars built. More than 330,000 examples of the first Beetle convertible were manufactured over a 32-year span, while another 234,619 New Beetle convertibles were produced in an eight-year period.

The New Beetle convertible was not a straight copy of the original, but a reinterpretation and development of it. And that’s the case with the third-generation Beetle convertible.



Klaus Bischoff, head designer, said: “Retro is not our thing: we are always looking forward. Volkswagen has reinterpreted the Beetle convertible’s timeless design with a sportier and more dynamic silhouette, just as it did with the Beetle Coupe. The car is substantially wider, has a longer hood, and has a more upright windshield that sits further back than before. The standard rear spoiler reinforces the car’s sporty look.”

At launch, there will be three special edition Beetle convertibles that evoke three distinct decades in American cultural history — the 1950s, the 1960s, and the 1970s. The ‘50s Edition Beetle convertible is classic and classy in black with a tan interior. The ‘60s Edition has groovy two-tone seats and Denim Blue paint that gives a nod to blue jeans, the most ubiquitous fashion statement of the era. And the ‘70s Edition convertible harks back to the more sophisticated side of the decade with a Toffee Brown exterior and chrome-look disc wheels.



The Beetle convertible retains the bold, purposeful stance of the coupe, thanks to wider tracks and a longer wheelbase than the previous New Beetle convertible. Compared with the 2006 version of the older car, the latest Beetle convertible is 3.3 inches wider at 71.2 inches; 1.1 inches lower at 58.0 inches tall; and 6.0 inches longer at 168.4 inches overall.

A convertible bodyshell is less rigid than a coupe’s because the upper part of the structure is open, so the Beetle convertible’s body needed reinforcements. This included the use of partial body reinforcements and sheetmetal with greater strength.

Due to the targeted use of materials and laser welding of selected parts, the body stiffness was increased by 20 percent over that of the New Beetle convertible: the torsional rigidity is now 17.8 Hz.

Top up, the Beetle convertible has an even lower roofline than the coupe’s. The top lies flat when it’s lowered, giving good visibility: the flexible leatherette top boot tidies up the appearance and is also a nice retro touch. Volkswagen decided to stick with a traditional softtop because it allows for a roofline that’s more like the original 1949 type 15’s.

Also, a softtop takes up less space than a folding hardtop, thus giving more trunk space. The heatable rear window is made of tempered safety glass.

The top is powered by two electric motors and latches and unlatches automatically at the touch of a button, which is located on the upper rail of the windshield surround. The top takes just 9.5 seconds to stow and 11.0 seconds to be raised: the difference is in the time it takes to latch the roof’s header to the windshield. The top can be raised and lowered at speeds of up to 31 mph, unusually high for a convertible.

The Beetle convertible’s interior styling, ergonomics and quality build off the themes that were introduced with the Coupe. Klaus Bischoff says: “The shape and use of color for the dashboard harkens back to the design of the very first Beetle models and helps to create a highly individual cabin. The simple layout and clean graphics are the same as the Beetle Coupe’s, which has been a success with consumers and critics alike.”

All 2013 Beetle convertibles are exceptionally well equipped. The base 2.5-liter model has standard 17-inch aluminum-alloy wheels; a leather-wrapped steering wheel; an eight-speaker sound system with aux-in; Bluetooth technology; a Media Device Interface with iPod® cable; three-color adjustable ambient lighting; heatable front seats and exterior mirrors; cruise control; and V-Tex leatherette seating.

Available features include a multifunction leather-trimmed steering wheel, Keyless access with push-button start, leather seating, the RNS 315 navigation system, the award-winning Fender® Premium Audio System, and Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

The 2013 Beetle convertible offers the following powertrain combinations: the 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission; the 2.0-liter TSI turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine with six-speed manual or six-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic transmissions; and the 2.0-liter TDI turbocharged Clean Diesel with the same manual or DSG options.

The 2.5-liter inline five-cylinder has dual chain-driven overhead camshafts with variable timing on the intake side, four valves per cylinder, and an aluminum-alloy cylinder head. The engine makes 170 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque. The EPA estimated fuel economy rating is 21 mpg city and 27 mpg highway.

The turbocharged dual-overhead-cam, 16-valve, 2.0-liter, direct-injection, four-cylinder engine in the Turbo makes 200 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque, delivered from just 1700 rpm. With the DSG transmission, the Turbo gets EPA-estimated fuel economy of 21 mpg city and 29 mpg highway; for the Turbo with the six-speed manual, the figures are 21 mpg city and 30 mpg highway.

The Beetle TDI uses the company’s 2.0-liter turbocharged, direct-injection Clean Diesel engine that makes 140 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque. The car has an EPA estimated fuel economy rating of 28 mpg city and 41 mpg highway when equipped with the manual transmission, making it the most economical convertible on the highway today.

The Beetle convertible, which has a starting MSRP of $24,995, comes standard with: six-speed automatic transmission; leather-wrapped steering wheel; manual air conditioning; Media Device Interface (MDI) with iPod adapter; three-color adjustable ambient lighting; Bluetooth technology; heated front seats; V-Tex leatherette seating surfaces; 17-inch aluminum-alloy wheels; eight-speaker sound system with aux-in; cruise control; and power adjustable, heatable side mirrors.

The ‘50s Edition adds leather seating surfaces, chrome exterior mirror caps, and “Heritage” wheels; it costs $26,095.