New Volkswagen Beetle Enters Production, Australian Debut Late 2012

The all-new 2012 Beetle, unveiled in April after months of revealing spy photos, has entered production at Volkswagen's Mexico assembly plant.

The new Beetle is not the only Volkswagen built in Mexico, with the company's American-market Jetta and Golf Wagon models also built at the Puebla plant.

The Beetle is no stranger to Puebla's production crew: the new model's predecessor - the 'New Beetle' - was built at the same plant.

“The new Beetle and the engine plant we are building in Silao represent the great confidence we place in Mexico as a manufacturing location," Volkswagen's Hubert Waltl said. 

"As one of the main manufacturers of compact class vehicles, Volkswagen de México is a key building block in our growth strategy for North America."

Internationally, the Beetle will be offered with a range of five petrol and diesel engines, and we can likely expect to see Volkswagen's 2.0 litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine at the top end of the Australian range.

Producing 150kW and 280Nm of torque in Beetle trim, the turbo engine will be paired with both six-speed manual and six-speed DSG automatic transmissions.

Australia

Speaking with TMR today, Volkswagen Australia's Karl Gehling said that while an exact launch date can't be confirmed at this point, a late 2012 launch is scheduled for the new Beetle.

Volkswagen Australia has yet to confirm local specifications for the new Beetle.