Los Angeles Auto Show: Volkswagen unveils the Beetle Cabrio and Jetta Hybrid in world premiere

Throughout the day we had seen three convertible versions of the Beetle, dedicated to much of the history of the Beetle: the 60s, 70s and 90s, but we were expecting some kind of official announcement about the promised convertible and the 2013 Jetta Hybrid, which has finally arrived. Volkswagen will world-premiere the new Beetle Cabrio and Jetta Hybrid at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

The third generation of the Beetle gives way to the Cabrio, which is larger, more powerful, sportier and more efficient, while offering a wider, more muscular look with a flatter roof and much more dynamic proportions. In addition, the Beetle Cabrio comes standard with an electro-hydraulic soft top that opens in just 9.5 seconds, even at speeds of up to 50 km/h, and folds away behind the rear seats, optimising rear visibility.

For its part, Volkswagen of America launches one of the brand’s most efficient cars: the new Jetta Hybrid. The propulsion of this new model is based on a powertrain consisting of the well-proven turbo petrol engine (110 kW / 150 CV TSI) and a 20 kW electric motor. Power is transmitted to the wheels by a 7-speed DSG automatic gearbox.

The Jetta Hybrid offers not only quite good driving performance (0 to 100 km/h in under 9 seconds), but also very good consumption figures of just 5.2 l/100 km on the combined cycle. This new member of the Jetta range consumes approximately 20% less fuel than any other model of this kind equipped with a conventional engine, according to the German brand.

That said, now that the introductions are out of the way, it is time to know when these two models will be available in our country. The Beetle Cabrio will reach our market in March 2013, while the Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid will do so in April.

Source | Volkswagen