New 2012 VW Beetle Makes Music Video Debut in Britney Spears’ “I Wanna Go”

Ever since Hershey’s chocolates appeared in William A. Wellman’s 1927 Wings movie - the first and only silent film ever to win an Academy Award for Best Picture, the practice of product placement has become an every day part of our television and cinematic experience.

Volkswagen is one of the many automakers that has adopted this strategy spending millions of dollars each year to place its products not only in movies but in music videos as well. One of our eagle-eyed readers, Dallas Howell, noticed the product placement of the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle in Britney Spears’ brand-new, paparazzi-bashing "I Wanna Go" music video.

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It Came From eBay Hell: Volkswagen Beetle Limousine...with a Soft Top!

Stretched Volkswagen Beetles are as commonplace on eBay as Pontiac Fiero-based fake Ferraris and Porsche 356 Speedster replicas. So what makes this example so special? Well for one it’s a convertible, and a real one at that, with a canvas roof that’s sure to sag and then collapse from the weight of the water on it when it rains.

It also has a bar made out of the same polished wood as the cheapest of community centre pianos and burgundy leather L-shaped bench seat. It also has burgundy and silver paintwork and a wide body kit, which is sure to make you stand out from the crowd.

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Volkswagen Launches 2012 Beetle with Limited Run Black Edition

The new 2012 Beetle isn’t scheduled to arrive in U.S. dealerships before the beginning of September, but Volkswagen is attempting to draw attention to its new Vehicle Pre-Order (VPO) program with the launch of a limited run version of the latest Bug called the Black Turbo Edition.

As the name suggests, the first 2012 Beetle available for pre-order is based on the 2.0L TSI model fitted with a turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine pumping out 200-horsepower and 207 lb-ft. of torque, coupled to a standard dual-clutch automatic transmission.

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Meet the First Modified 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Inspired by the Porsche 911 GT3 RS

We have no doubt that this year belongs to the new 2012 Volkswagen Beetle when it comes to tuning mainstream cars. Just wait and see once the first production models begin arriving in the market this fall. For those of you that can’t linger until September, here’s a first example of a tuned 2012 Beetle.

The 2012 Beetle RS Stage 1 is the creation of the Volkswagen-loving crew at VWvortex who were given a pre-production model by the German firm to work on. Since the vehicle came with no registration and license plates, the team decided to skip on the engine modes for now and concentrate on the styling aspect of the tune, which as you may have already guessed by now, was inspired by the Porsche 911 GT3RS.

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Volkswagen Drops Pricing on 2012 Beetle, Starts from $19,765

We just got our hands on the official pricing list for the all-new 2012 Volkswagen Beetle. US customers can bring home the latest iteration of the retro-penned “people’s car” for as little as $18,995 which increases to $19,765 (about €13,540) if you add VW’s $770 destination charge, for the base model fitted with the 170HP 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine. When linked to a five-speed manual gearbox, the 2.5L returns an estimated 22 mpg city and 31 mpg highway, while the optional six-speed automatic offers EPA fuel economy ratings of 22 mpg city and 29 mpg highway.

Standard features on the 2.5L model include a split folding rear seat, aux-in for portable audio players, a leather steering wheel, 17-inch alloys, and an eight-speaker audio system.

For those seeking more power, VW offers the 2.0L TSI Beetle with 200-horses and 207 lb-ft of peak torque, which is priced from $23,395 or $24,165 (around €16,550) if you include destination charges. It is offered with a standard six-speed manual or an optional DSG dual-clutch automatic transmission, with the latter delivering offers an EPA fuel economy rating of 30 mpg on the highway and 22 mpg city.

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It’s a Wrap: CFC’s Artsy Volkswagen New Beetle Convertible

The soon-to-be-replaced VW New Beetle Convertible has caught the attention of Bavarian foil specialist Car Film Components (CFC), which has revealed a rather artsy-looking tuning proposal. The highlight of the tune is of course the exterior with certain parts of the body including the doors, side panels, hood and bonnet covered in a velvet black wrap while the front and rear bumpers, the wheel arches and the rocker panels are draped in a sticker like motif. The pice for materials and labor is €2,200 or about US$3,140. Read more »

British Study Reveals the Most Popular Hairdresser’s Car in Real Life

And no, despite what you may have heard or read, the Audi TT ain’t the most popular car among hairdressers – or at least not in Britain. According to a new study made available today by UK women's car insurance specialist Diamond, that title goes to…*drums please*…the one and only, MINI One hatchback. In fact, the BMW Group’s MINI brand had two vehicles in the top five positions.

The UK insurance firm came to this conclusion after looking at data from over 18,000 hairdressers in Britain. The company said the MINI One is three and a half times more likely to be driven by someone working as a hairdresser than everyone else.

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Chick Flick II: VW Celebrates Barbie's 50th Birthday with Pinked out Beetle Convertible

Just in case anyone had any objections that the New Beetle is squarely aimed towards the so-called "weaker sex", Volkswagen of America created a customized New Beetle Convertible in celebration of the Barbie doll's 50th Birthday. As many of you may recall, Fiat did the same thing on the other side of the Atlantic with the new 500 - see here. The Barbiedream Beetle Convertible comes fully equipped with rhinestones, sparkling pink paint and motorized vanity in trunk.

"We are extremely proud to partner with Mattel and create a customized New Beetle convertible to celebrate Barbie's landmark birthday," said Laura Soave, General Manager of Marketing, Volkswagen of America, Inc. "Like the New Beetle, Barbie has made a remarkable impact on pop culture history, and still remains a cultural icon today."

VW's New Beetle Convertible Gets All Red: 'Blush' Limited Edition

The latest special edition model to come out Volkswagen's American arm is the 2009 New Beetle Convertible "Blush" and as its names suggests, it features a red leather interior combined with a red ragtop. On the outside, it comes with an exclusive 'White Gold" paint that is not offered on the standard version. Noticeably, the "Blush" edition is the only current New Beetle Convertible available with genuine leather seating surfaces. Other unique features of the special edition include a red boot for when the convertible top is down, and newly-designed 17-inch alloy wheels.

Under the hood, the New Beetle Convertible the "Blush" edition gets the standard 2.5-liter engine that produces 150-horsepower, and 170 lbs.ft. of torque, hooked up to a six-speed automatic transmission. If you're the kind of type that won't blush if you're seen in a New Beetle Convertible, then this special and limited run edition could be yours for $26,990.