The Beetle is one of the most well known cars in the world. Reworked many times, Volkswagen has tried to be innovative but also keep that very distinctive feel. Updated for the 2012 season, the newest incarnation of the vehicle not only meets the standards of its predecessors but also exceeds them, setting a new benchmark for all cars.

Instantly recognizable, the chief designer stated that they had to “design a new original.” Certainly succeeding, they completely redesigned it along more dynamic and masculine lines. The new Volkswagen Beetle now has a lower profile, is wider, has a longer front bonnet, and the front windscreen has a sharper inclination.

Gone are the days of the flowerpot, allowing for the car to grow along more professional lines. The cockpit is designed around carbon-looking facia panels and maintains a retro look. The equipment has been completely redesigned around round shapes. There is a new steering wheel and the most recent model also comes with a glove box. The latest model moves beyond class limits, producing an incredible feel at a low cost.

The 2012 Volkswagen Beetle also shines behind the hood, offering the driver a great assortment of choices. The base model comes with 170 bhp five-cylinder engine. If you’re looking for a speedier alternative than the 200 bhp 2.0-litre turchorcharged model will certainly have you zooming through the streets of Britain in no time. The model also comes with a 140 bhp turbodiesel alternative that can both save money and offer a satisfying ride.

The all-new Volkswagen Beetle is now available to lease with Nationwide Vehicle Contracts. Prices start from just £231.95 + VAT a month for the Volkswagen Beetle 1.2 TSI DSG. Standard features on this model include:

• DAB Radio Preparation
• Electric Front Windows
• Heat Insulating Tinted Glass
• ‘Climatic’ Semi Automatic Air Conditioning
• Electronic Engine Immobiliser

To find out more about the new Volkswagen Beetle, simply follow the above links or call Nationwide Vehicle Contracts on 0844 482 9595.

Prices based on a 4 year contract and excludes VAT, initial payment and processing fee. Limited Stock Available. Terms & Conditions Apply.

City motoring seems to be the new target for car manufacturers with gas-guzzling larger cars being cast aside for their smaller cousins. Obviously there will always be a need for SUVs and the like for family reasons, but perhaps people are buying smaller as a ‘second’ car to zip around the city/town/village in.

Coming soon are all the small electrics, but also arriving soon are three new small motors all about to play a rather large part in the future of three of the major players in automobile manufacturing, all aiming to be dominant in their field.

Toyota’s new Yaris aims to win back sales lost in their global recall crisis and by the chaos that Japan suffered with the earthquake and tsunami. And next year they launch a hybrid version with a rumoured 75mpg.

But this new one comes with a 5 year/100,000 mile warranty, and starts from a very competitive £11,170 for a 1 litre 3-door T2.

Volkswagen  release the Up! (not to be confused with the film) which they see as a bit of a pioneer in their ambition to take over from Toyota as the world’s number one car maker. Available from early next year in the UK at the lowest price of £8,000 for the Take Up! (The Move Up! costs a bit more), VW would like it to be considered for the title of ‘the people’s car’ as it, at a push, culd be considered a family car – for a very small family.

And then thre’s the Kia Rio, aiming to consolidate Kia’s fast-growing reputation as a soon-to-be manufacturing giant alongside Korean partners Hyundai.

This is, of course, a NEW Rio, replacing the original that was, in all honesty, disappointing. But this one is a bit of a sophisticat, something reflected in its opening price of around £10,595 for a 1.25 litre.

All 3 cars have a host of standards from electric windows to ipod generation sound systems and, naturally, they are all economically and ecologically sound.. After all, they will soon be fighting it out for city drivers’ hearts against the promised electric invasion.

And they all join the tiny revolution that  also includes Suzuki’s Alton, SEAT’s Ibiza Copa, Hyundai’s 110, Ford’s Fiesta Studio, Vauxhall’s new Corsa and Chevrolet’s Aveo, amongst others.

The small revolution is underway.

Volkswagen has released the first official pictures of the new Volkswagen Up! ahead of its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month.

Boasting an entirely new design, the new Volkswagen Up! is designed for the city, offering maximum space with a minimal footprint. At just 3.54 metres in length, 1.64 metres in width and 1.48 metres in height, the Up! is one the smallest four-seater cars on the market while boasting one of the longest wheelbases in its segment.

Inside, the Up!’s interior is certainly colourful boasting decor paint or body colour paint (depending on the trim), as well as fun styling and high quality materials. For the first time in a Volkswagen, the maps + more system is also being offered (a mobile Personal Infortainment Device) developed to offer navigation, telephone, information and entertainment system, all controlled by one screen. 

Under the bonnet, the new Up! features three-cylinder petrol engines, with outputs of 60PS and 75PS. A BlueMotion technology version will also be available (including Start/Stop) offering a combined fuel consumption of 4.2 l/100 km (60PS) and CO2 emissions of less than 100g/km.

Three models will be available from launch, including an entry-level model named ‘Take Up!’, a comfort-orientated model called ‘Move-Up!’ and a top of-the-range model called ‘High-Up!’. 

Two limited edition models will also be available from launch called… wait for it… ‘Up! Black’ and ‘Up! White’.

The 2013 Volkswagen Up! is due to hit European showrooms in December. Further details and pricing are expected closer to launch.

Volkswagen has bent over backwards to recapture the essence and look of the original Beetle in its bid to ensure that the third-generation car is just as popular as the first.

The original Volkswagen car was launched in 1938 and was an instant success with 21 million sales in its 65-year life.

Unsurprisingly, it is an automotive icon, up there with the Mini, the original Land Rover and Fiat 500.

VW has given the latest Beetle a much bolder look to put some more spark into the brand. The cute, girly style of the second-generation car has gone and in its place is a much more powerful stance.

It may be longer and wider than it was before but it is still very obviously a Beetle when you see it on the road. It would be impossible to think a Beetle was anything else!

The new style is aimed at attracting more male buyers. Since more than 80 per cent of second-generation Beetle drivers in the UK were women, VW hopes their new car will get nearer to a 50/50 male-female split.

But despite the more confident looks, the new Beetle isn’t expected to sell as well as the outgoing car.

In its best year, sales of the second-generation Beetle topped 9,000. But now, with vehicles like the new Mini and Fiat 500 (VW’s main rivals), the market is much tougher, so VW expects the new car to find only around 7,500 buyers a year.

Prices range from £15,000 to £25,000 for the Beetle, more than the previous model which may not help sales either. The Beetle will go on sale at the start of next year with just two turbo petrols: a 1.2-litre engine producing 105bhp and a 1.4-litre unit developing a more useful 160bhp. The full range of engines will be available later in the year.

The Volkswagen Beetle is perhaps the world’s cutest as well as recognizable small car. Beginning in a rather infamous setting, as the companies name suggests, it was meant to be the car of and for the people. Its drop-like shape has remained iconic and every reimagination has tried to keep this type of strong communication to the past firmly rooted, and the newest addition to the collection is no exception.

The reincarnation, released just last April, begins with tradition, integrating a spark of the future within the steel construct. The new design comes with a slightly less oval shape that would be expected, with a slightly flatter roof than in previous models. Another such change was in the narrower windows, making the still distinguishable Beetle design appear sleeker, if to a little more edgier than it had been, certainly so since they removed the flowerpot from the car.

The greatest shift in VW’s gear is having the new vehicle entirely produced in Mexico. To the many workers, this was a coupe to have such a highly valuable an historically powerful car produced in its factories. To keep with the name, the model will be known as the ‘Vocho,’ the Mexican equivalent of ‘bug.’ It is estimated to bring thousands of new jobs as well as provide $400 million in funding to retool. The new pride of Mexico, it will also provide the region a great boost.

It is actually more like the one presented in 1970’s, being shapes like the one generations before. It boasts a longer hull, extending 7 inches, and larger wheels than its predecessors. Still as spacious as ever, four adults will easily be able to fit inside. The sun roof is bigger then ever, and the car is certainly not show at all, accelerating to 60 mph in 7 seconds, depending on the model.

Following the formula of many of the small popular cars, it comes in a standard as well as sports form, which for VW is known as ‘turbo.’ The base price for the former is around £15,000 whilst the upper turbo is estimated to cost around £18,000. The difference in price can be best paralleled to that in the engine size between 170 hp and 200 hp. These is also quite a difference in the little equipment and features that make the big difference, much like fog lights as well as leather features.

Once more producing these vehicles in the Puebla plant, the company hopes to produce around 100,000 of these new models, with the vast majority exported across the world. It is the companies hope that it will be out in dealerships as soon as this fall, allowing us to drive and show off the great ride all over our cities.

In what they’re describing as the ushering in of “a new era in this iconic car’s history”, Volkswagen today unveiled the latest generation of Beetle in Shanghai on the eve of the city’s motor show.

A stylistic departure from 1998′s “New Beetle” design, this one takes its cues from the original 2005 Beetle Ragster concept show in Detroit.

If that means anything to you, then you’re presumably in for a treat. Apparently, this means that it’s longer, wider and lower, which, they say, gives it “a more masculine and dynamic appearance”.

The car will come in three trim levels – Beetle, Design and Sport – each of which will be endowed with its own individual character and features. You’ll also be able to choose from a range of natty optional equipment, such as Keyless Access (how that will work remains to be seen); sat-nav; panoramic sunroof; bi-xenon headlights and LED daytime running lights. This represents the first time that any such features have been available for a Beetle.

In the UK, a choice of four engines will be offered: three petrol – a 1.2-litre TSI 105 PS, a 1.4-litre TSI 160 PS and a 2.0-litre TSI 200 PS; and one diesel – a 1.6-litre 105 PS with BlueMotion Technology. Thanks to the addition of Stop/Start and battery regeneration systems the Beetle 1.6-litre 105 PS is estimated to have a combined fuel consumption of 65.7 mpg and carbon dioxide emissions of 112 g/km.

I’ll take mine in green, then!

You’ll be able to order the car in the UK come summer, but the first cars won’t arrive in showrooms until early next year. Does that make sense? Good.

More details here as they emerge. Such as price, and that.

Fantastic deal on the VW Golf Plus with the popular Bluemotion verison now available from £194.95 plus vat. The Golf plus was launched in 2008 aiming at bridging the gap between the Touran and the Golf hatchback making it a very versatile and hugely spacious MPV. The 1.6 Tdi S Bluemotion comes with CD player, semi automatic climate control, climate control and an endless list of storage and cubby holes. For more informtion and to grab one of these in stock vehicles please follow the link below:

VW Golf Plus 1.6 Tdi s 105 Bluemotion

In stock now Nationwide have their final stock of Volkswagen Golf 1.6 Tdi Se Bluemotion Tech 5 door for immediate delivery. These cars have now been further reduced by up to £10 per month with leasing rates now starting at £194.95 plus vat. With almost 69 mpg on average this car will save you a fortune on fuel bills. Below are list of features which come as standard on this car:

• Semi-automatic climate control
• CD player with aux input
• Cruise control
• 16″ alloy wheels