New Budget Beetle

Beetlemania is about to get a huge boost! Volkswagen is to launch a cut-price version of the popular 'lifestyle' car ; and amazingly it will be as cheap as a Polo. Powered by an all-new 1.6 unit, the Beetle will cost £12,995. That's nearly £2,000 cheaper than the 2.0-litre New Beetle.

Standard kit includes ABS brakes, twin front and side airbags, ESP stability control, electric front windows, remote central locking and exclusive 16-inch wheels. In fact the only features lacking on the new version are alloys and air-conditioning ; options which cost £695 and £795 respectively. Other extras available include a CD autochanger, sunroof, heated front seats and front foglamps. VW has always strongly denied that it would introduce a cheaper version of the Beetle, but this week a spokeswoman told us: "We felt the time was now right to offer an alternative to the 2.0-litre version.

The Beetle 1.6 is available to order, with the first 200 cars expected in the country anytime now. After that, delivery times of 10-16 weeks are anticipated. So far, more than 4,800 RHD Beetles have been sold in Britain and VW bosses predict that this should reach 7,500 by the end of the year.

all Volkswagen Group communications and photos reproduced with permission of Volkswagen UK