There are speculations that the new 2012 Volkswagen Beetle has been spotted publicly. Had that been so, then it would be the first ever public appearance made by the Beetle and that too outside a Motor show. JWalters84, a Youtube got the sudden opportunity to record his first encounter with the car on a road in Laredo in the city of Texas. But the question that remains is what the hell was the car doing there? But the true reply is expectedly unavailable. So to be on the safe side, it is likely to assume that the car that was seen on the road was a pre production model used either by dealers for test drive or by the employees at the VW Group. This since the third generation Beetle is not expected to hit the streets in the United States before September of 2011.
The 2012 version of the VW Beetle will be made available worldwide in three equipment lines – “Beetle”, “Design” and “Sport”. Depending on the market scenario, a further choice of diesel engine or a gasoline options will also be included. As for instance, the engine lineup for the North American market includes a 40 mpg 2.0 liter diesel with a max power output of 140 HP, and two gasoline units – a 2.5 liter inline five that delivers 170 HP and a 2.0 liter turbo rated at 200 hp.
The engine choices that are made available for the Europeans, Australians and consumers in certain Asian countries will be different. The engines will get broader and more modern with features like 160 HP 1.4 liter TSI and 105 HP 1.2 liter TSI Bluemotion with Stop/Start. The technology for the battery regeneration returns a combined fuel economy of 5.5 liters per 100 km or about 42.8 mpg.
Source: carscoop
