European auto major Volkswagen will be launching its iconic car, the Beetle, within the next three months in India. The car will be imported to India as a Completely Built Unit (CBU) and will be priced at around Rs 20 lakh. The Beetle, also called the ‘Bug’, will come equipped with a 1.9 litre TDI diesel engine, 5-speed manual transmission, rain sensors and cruise control. It will also feature Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), traction control, anti-skid system and standard front and side airbags.
The VW Beetle is a car with a long and interesting history. Equally popular with Germany’s Third Reich during Word War II and America’s beatnik generation of the 1960’s, it is the world’s longest running and most produced car of the same design. It is because of its iconic value that VW India thinks the Beetle will find a market in the country, in spite of its forbidding price tag. The company plans to introduce the Beetle in India before launching its mass-market hatchback, the Polo, later this year.
