beetle

So you like the new Volkswagen Beetle, but you wish it were a bit more fuel efficient?

If so, you should stay tuned to next week's Chicago Auto Show because that's where VW will be debuting its new 2013 Beetle TDI.

As the name suggests, this new Beetle variant will be powered by one of Volkswagen's TDI engines--and no, unfortunately it's not that TDI engine. The Beetle TDI's power train is essentially a cut-and-paste of the engine that lives beneath the bonnet of the 2012 Golf TDI and 2012 Jetta TDI. The much-loved 2.0-liter … Read more

DETROIT--If you're a Bug fan, chances are you might dig an electric version.

Volkswagen has been showing off its zero-emission E-Bugster concept at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, as well as a Jetta Hybrid.

The storied Beetle, which recently had an update for the third generation since its launch in 1949, gets a Blue-e-motion drive unit with a 114-horsepower (85 kW) electric motor and 110 miles of range with its lithium-ion battery.

It does 0-60 mph in a laid-back 10.9 seconds.

The Bugster has a low-slung roof like the 2005 Ragster concept and fat, … Read more

4x4 Jam is an off-road racer that lets you drive wherever you want--an ongoing and changing landscape continues in every direction. This game is from the early days of the iTunes App Store, and while the gameplay is still pretty fun, it's easy to tell the graphics haven't been updated for the latest iOS devices.

Even so, 4x4 Jam still manages to be fun and worthy of a download if you've never tried it. Steer by tilting your iPhone left and right and you have several options for control sets depending on how much control over gas … Read more

When the new Beetle rolls into showrooms this September, it will have a different look and starting price of just $18,995.

The 2012 Beetle, which was spotted this spring at the 2011 New York auto show, is 3.3 inches wider, 6 inches longer, and 0.5 inch lower than the previous generation, and it comes in three trim lines.

The 2.5L model, which has an MSRP of $18,995, has a five-cylinder engine, delivering 170 horsepower. When outfitted with the five-speed manual transmission, the mileage is estimated at 22 mpg city and 31 mpg highway. The six-speed … Read more

The Volkswagen Beetle enjoys a long and storied history. And now, it's moving into its third generation.

The Volkswagen Beetle is arguably one of the most recognizable cars on the road. First launched in the U.S. in 1949, the car was a staple in the country for 30 years. Over that span, Volkswagen sold nearly 5 million Beetles in the U.S. alone. After being discontinued, the Beetle was brought back in 1998. Through 2010, the New Beetle's sales topped 477,000 units in the U.S. All told, more than 22.5 million Beetles (first- and … Read more

Volkswagen announced today it's bought two Super Bowl ad spots for its 2012 Beetle and Passat, and has partnered with Lucasfilm to promote the Passat.

The two 30-second spots will appear during the second and fourth quarters of Super Bowl XLV, according to VW.

"Accompanied by John Williams' iconic 'The Imperial March,' the [Passat] spot features the most infamous villain in the galaxy, a pint-sized Darth Vader who uses the Force when he discovers the all-new 2012 Passat in the driveway," according to Volkswagen.

The other ad for the 2012 Beetle will notably not show the car, … Read more

Adobe launched its Flash player for the Android 10.1 operating system back in June, and now Apple is getting the same treatment, but under the table. The same hacker group that released the Web site jailbreakme.com has released an early version of Flash for jailbroken iPhones.

The program is called Frash (pause for Jeff to laugh), and at the moment it can only handle Web sites with basic Flash animations, so don't expect to watch streaming videos from sites such as YouTube or Vimeo just yet. Keep in mind that jailbreaking your iPhone does make it vulnerable to a certain security exploit revealed last week. Of course, Apple is planning to patch the issue, so you may want to hold off on updating apps like Frash until then.

You've probably heard of cars that run on vegetable oil, but what about a vehicle that runs on methane gas extracted from human waste? Engineers at GENeco are testing a Volkswagen Beetle, aka "Dung Beetle," that uses methane harvested from bacteria stored in sewage decomposition containers.

The thought of a fart-powered car might tickle your gag reflex, but there's no denying its energy efficiency. Our own Rory Reid on Crave U.K. said the waste from 70 homes can create enough gas to run the Dung Beetle for 10,000 miles, and it's also carbon neutral since all of it normally is released into the atmosphere when the sewage converts to methane.

Join us in the second half of the show where we'll discuss yesterday's epic Classic Tetris World Championship in Los Angeles. More than 200 players competed in the Championship organized by former Nintendo World Champion player Robin Mihara, but only Jonas Neubauer was able to beat the other eight players in the semi-finals and win the trophy and $1,000 prize.

We asked for TerrorByte lyrics over the weekend and you guys certainly delivered! Check out today's submission from Mark after the break, and don't forget to send yours to the404(at)cnet(dot)com! If you just want to leave a comment about the show, feel free to give us a ring at 1-866-404-CNET or BBM our phone at 2482F452; we'll be waiting!… Read more

For this week's concept car Friday, we're taking a step back from the supercars and luxury sports sedans that we normally feature and take a look at the People's Car of the future. It's no secret that Volkswagen's New Beetle is at the end of its life cycle and that a major redesign is just around the corner. But what will this Newer Beetle look like? We hope not nearly as bland as the new Jetta, but VW isn't talking.

Meanwhile in Brazil, where the classic VW Beetle (or VW Fusca, as it is … Read more

Fuel start-up Cobalt Technologies has figured out a way to use trees poisoned and killed by pine beetles to make biobutanol, the company announced Wednesday.

Cobalt develops biofuels that can be mixed with gas, diesel, or jet fuel, as well as used to make plastics. Up until now, the company has used forestry byproducts that originated from healthy trees to make its n-butanol. The result is a gasoline blend made up of 12 percent biobutanol, which the company has claimed can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 85 percent when compared to conventional gasoline. It's been touting the … Read more