For the first Car of the Week, we have chosen the new Volkswagen Beetle. The original was conceived in 1934 by Dr. Ferdinand Porsche and sales boomed after World War 2, as the general population craved mobility on a shoe-string budget. In the loved up '60s, the "love-bug" became an icon - original and individual among cars at the time.

Although the Beetle has not been on sale in Europe since the beginning of the '80s, it is still being produced in Mexico. That site is now also churning out the new Beetle, struggling to keep up with world-wide demand. The Wolfsburg (Germany) factory will soon begin right-hand drive production. This is not soon enough though! VW (UK) have already secured a batch of left-hand drive models to sate the appetites of the British people..........
......they are rumoured to be sold out.

The Beetle's popularity, however, is not the main reason for its place as the first COTW here. VW must be congratulated for a brilliant marketing move - playing on the caring, sharing '90s philosophy with a blatant re-launch of their original hippy-mobile. Sceptics denounced the Concept 1 in 1996 at the Detroit Show, criticising VW for cashing in on the retro trend. We at CE feel that the Beetle is different. Even the modern interpretation is instantly recognisable (thanks in no small part to the lovable Herbie movies) to both young and old. Yet, side-by-side, they are worlds apart. The new car looks modern. Had the original not existed, the new Beetle would be looked on as an interesting design. In our view, it complements its father's good points - while adding airbags and side-impact beams!

Three variants are currently available in the USA - the regular 2-door, a wide-bodied four wheel drive version, and the inevitable cabriolet. Keep an eye on the News pages for details of the UK launch. As soon as that happens it will join the CE Database.