THE Beetles are making a comeback!

North American market is the first country in which the New Beetle will go on sale. Deliveries of right-hand drive models to the UK are not expected to begin until the first part of 1999.

The New Beetle is a car that began as a design study called Concept 1 exactly four years ago. Its worldwide debut is at Detroit's North American International Auto Show on January 5, 1998.

Set to arrive this spring at Volkswagen dealerships across North America, the New Beetle proves that something very good in a past life can come back as something even better, totally new.

While it rekindles the magic of its legendary namesake, the New Beetle is not an update of the original but a completely new and modern car - a Beetle driving forward into the 21st century, inviting us optimistically to follow.

As a contemporary creation, the New Beetle is more than a ray of sunny originality in an all-too-seriously car market; it is also very functional, with plenty of creature comforts and the very latest advancements in small-car safety.

It is significantly larger than the original, both inside and out, and shares no parts with its predecessor. It is powered by a front-mounted 115 bhp four cylinder engine, or as an option, a highly advanced turbocharged, direct injection TDI diesel that delivers an EPA rating of 48 miles per gallon on the highway and a driving range of nearly 700 miles.

The New Beetle uses front-wheel drive and is equipped with a wealth of standard items, including CFC-free air conditioning, a pollen and odour filter, a six-speaker stereo with CD-control capability, beverage holders, an anti-theft alarm system, halogen projector-beam headlights, four-wheel disc brakes and a central locking system with remote. It can be ordered with electronic anti-lock brakes, alloy wheels, cruise control, leather seating, integrated fog lamps, heatable front seats, and one-touch up and one-touch down power windows.

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