If you were following the massive international launch of the 2012 Beetle you might have noticed that a few news sites published the images before the press embargo of 1pm GMT. Those sites have felt the full wrath of some frightening VW lawyers and retracted their stories.

These then are the first official pictures of the 21st Century Beetle. Some UK sites are claiming an early 2012 release date, so we presume we’re looking at a July-September launch in SA. We’ll keep you posted.

It seems the car is based on the chassis from the Golf 6, but hey, which cars in the VW stable aren’t. Expect a full line up of VW engines, from the little 1.4 litre twincharged unit, all the way to a 2.0 turbo.

The interior looks like every other VW I’ve ever driven, which is no surprise, but at least you’ll be able to spec all the goodies like SatNav and the HDD music system with touch screen.

Ciro De Siena – OverdriveTV

If you’ve been behind the wheel of an original beetle, you’ll know that they are possibly some of the worst cars you could ever drive. Even so, the car became an icon and after a frankly lame attempt at reviving the model in the 90s, VW have hit back with a huge launch for the 21st Century Bug. We’ve got all the details.

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As according to VWs plans, development of the next generation Golf is well underway. The Golf VI is being developed to be cheaper to build than the current Golf V, which has had VW management lamenting many ills: the electronics are too complicated and require highly qualified personnel, increasing training costs. The doors and the multilink rear suspension also require complex assembly techniques, leading to production times almost double those of rivals which leads to high production costs. The result is a car which in 2004 generated €900 million less than expected, one of a myriad reasons why VW has considered a replacement much earlier than originally planned. (more…)

As part of its drive to expand its product range, Porsche is currently known to be working on development of a new saloon/hatch vehicle. The new car, called the Panamera, is allegedly to use the 8 cylinder 4,5L mills that currently do service in the Cayenne range. Also mulled for inclusion is an Audi-sourced V10 – initially, the V10 from the Carrera GT was tipped as the range-topper, but production limitations are said to have precluded it from inclusion. (more…)

Looking like a proud Pappa, Dr Zee released the new Mercedes C-Class sedan to the world. The replacement to Mercedes biggest seller has been completely redesigned and is being offered in 2 visual formats, the more traditional version and a more sporting face.

Stuttgart — An impressive combination of ride comfort and agility is the hallmark of the new C-Class, which celebrated its world premiere today in Stuttgart. In front of some 600 international journalists from over 30 countries, Mercedes-Benz presented the remake of its biggest-selling model series, which sets a new benchmark with its vigorously elegant styling, state-of-the-art safety technology and versatile product concept.

“With the new C-Class, we are yet again raising the bar in this important segment of the market – and that’s true right across the board, especially in terms of safety, comfort and agility,” declared Dr. Dieter Zetsche, CEO of DaimlerChrysler AG and head of the Mercedes Car Group, at the world pre-miere, which was held in the Mercedes-Benz World in Stuttgart. “With its unique balance of driving characteristics, the fourth C-Class generation em-bodies a new driving culture in the compact premium car segment. We are thus offering our customers the most versatile and majestic C-Class of all time – and, for the first time, in two attractive outfits.”
First Mercedes saloon with two different faces

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