Volkswagen records its 500,000th sale of the New Beetle in the U.S.
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Jan. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Volkswagen of America, Inc. today announced that U.S. sales of the legendary New Beetle reached the half- million mark. It was exactly nine years ago that the New Beetle made its worldwide debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Excitement for Volkswagen's original Beetle remained strong in the United States during the 1960s through the end of its U.S. run in 1979. Like a true survivor, it only lay dormant until it returned to the scene as an evolution of the original. When the New Beetle was introduced in 1998, it took America by storm, and today passion for the iconic vehicle remains strong. In contrast, it took nearly thirteen years for the original Beetle to accomplish what the New Beetle did in nine -- a half-million units sold!
"The New Beetle is fun, functional and enduring," said Adrian Hallmark, executive vice president, Volkswagen of America, Inc. "It maintains its strength and popularity in the market and its icon status promises that the New Beetle will continue to be a magnet for the brand."
Originally shown as the Concept 1 at the 1994 North American International Auto Show to an enthusiastic audience, the New Beetle's profile and classic elements satisfied America's desire for a design that was fresh and unique. When it entered the market in 1998, sales quickly exceeded the anticipated 50,000 units. It reinvigorated Volkswagen's performance in the U.S. market, and helped rejuvenate sales across Volkswagen's entire range of products.
With New Beetle sales came an insurgence of the Bug in pop culture: From the return of the "punch buggy" game to the 2005 movie Herbie: Fully Loaded, the New Beetle is truly a modern cultural phenomenon. New Beetle owners coordinate "Bug Ins" and attend an annual celebration in Roswell, New Mexico, home of the alleged alien sighting.
Volkswagen continues to modify the New Beetle lineup to meet customer demand, offering a turbo version in 1999 and a convertible model in 2003. In 2005, the New Beetle was refreshed with a more dynamic new shape, giving it a stronger, slightly more aggressive and masculine appearance. Volkswagen also gave the New Beetle an all-new 2.5-liter, in-line cylinder gasoline engine that delivers 150 horsepower.
For 2007, Volkswagen offers something for everyone when it comes to the New Beetle. Paying homage to the historical roots of the Beetle, Volkswagen for 2007 is once again offering a Triple White New Beetle convertible; and since the Beetle was always known for its tremendous value, Volkswagen will offer a limited number of New Beetles staring at $16,490.
Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. Volkswagen is one of the world's largest producers of passenger cars and Europe's largest automaker. Volkswagen sells the Rabbit, New Beetle, New Beetle convertible, GTI, Jetta, GLI, Passat, Passat wagon, Eos, and Touareg through approximately 600 independent U.S. dealers. Visit Volkswagen of America online at vw.com.
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I would just like to note that I just got back from taking pictures of the biggest VW dealer here in Kassel, and THIS FRIDAY I am making my pilgrimage to Wolfsburg!!!!!!!
I AM STOKED.
Professor Balmer is taking us all there; in the morning we are touring the research & development center, which highly intrigues me (besides the fact that it is Volkswagen), because this precisely parallels my major and focus in engineering: manufacturing processes and research into how to better the materials engineering behind a certain product. This could not possibly match my career's mission statement any more impeccably.
We are supposed to have lunch at a cafeteria somewhere around the Volkswagen Global Headquarters (GOD, it feels like heaven to type that name!!), and in the afternoon, we get to make.....drumroll please...
THE TOUR OF THE LARGEST VOLKSWAGEN MUSEUM KNOWN TO MAN.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have already got all my camera batteries charged, and I daydream each day for an hour about what this place will be like. Big? A high rise? Or a sprawling playground with fairies and pink sparkles shooting up like fountains over Arabia?
Test driving ranges? Memorabilia halls, where you can walk down this corridor and peer into showcase windows with all original artifacts from Volkswagen over the years? Lots of cool pictures?
The one thing I am getting the most amped up about is the possible souvenir shop!!! I mean c'mon, VW has some sort of a cult following, there will probably be several other fans like me, making their call to their mecca, and wishing to purchase something of their voyage trip, to use as proof.
For me, I plan to buy any little cute or funky or classy thing I lay my eyes on. That's right, this probably means I'll buy a little bit of everything on every shelfo or hanger, but you know what?? I've been saving up for this ever since I was 15 and was riding in a car down the street in 1998 and I saw the first reincarnated VW New Beetle pass me. I have been sooooo frugal with the rest of this trip, to the point where I am actually starving every day, losing weight, instead of dropping money on food or gourmet delicacies. I also refrain from buying all of these gorgeous postcards with pictures on them that waaaaay outdo my photography skills. (I've sort of become a fan of collecting postcards, to keep a library of all the places I have touched.)
Anyway, I found this article to be an appropriate one, since I am dubbing this week as Ashley's Volkswagen Week.
:) :) :) :)
Today: Photo shoot of Kassel VW dealership
Friday: Day trip to Volkswagen City (errr, Wolfsburg)
Monday: Day trip to ANOTHER Volkswagen manufacturing facility, to monitor their processes and tactics.
I've already asked Professor Bob if it will be permissible for me to speak with the Volkswagen representatives on a serious, educated level, with my passion for Volkswagens and a way to funnel that into working for them. I'd be nothing but the most loyal employee, in the door for work every day a half hour before my shift, and and hour afterwards at the end of the day. I'd think about my job on my free time, I'd give my all, just for the life of Volkswagen. I strongly believe in its cause. :)
Anyway, sorry for the preaching, lofty, rambling post. I am just SO EXCITED for this trip, that I am frantic about plugging all of my excitement into all of you readers as well!!!! I was made for this!!!! This is where I belong!!! All that hard work, the long nights of homework, the social awkward-ness at any teenage function I've ever attended, the flat jokes gone bad in a crowd I was trying to impress....oh no no no...this is where I can finally do no wrong. This is where I am going to be accepted and cherished and I won't have to say a thing to explain my motives or thought processes.
Ahhhhhh, 2007 is my favorite year so far.
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