Factory Effex Rear Fender Graphics 14-32422 on 2040-parts.com

Volkswagen aims for lofty Beetle sales

The attractive new 2012 Volkswagen Beetle is expected to sell as many as 50,000 to 60,000 units a year in the United States. The car launches this fall. That level will be a big improvement over the latter years of the outgoing model, in which sales dwindled to just 15,000 a year, but it remains lower than the record figure of 83,000 achieved 18 months after the launch of the revised model.

Volkswagen puts a price on the VW Polo BlueGT

The Volkswagen Polo Blue GT – a warmed over Polo – will cost from £17,400 for the 1.4-litre 138bhp 6 spd manual. The Polo Blue GT gets the 1.4 TFSI engine with 138bhp so the little Polo can row along well enough, but it also get cylinder deactivation for when you’re not blatting from traffic light to traffic light to endow the Blue GT with official average economy of 60.1mpg (or 62.7mpg if you opt for the DSG ‘box). When you’re not worried about being parsimonious with your fuel the Polo GT skips along to 62mph in 7.9 seconds and handles well enough thanks to the Polo’s already decent setup and a 15mm lower suspension.

Concept Car of the Week: Isuzu 4200R (1989)

In the eighties, General Motors-owned Isuzu was fairly successful, but it was suffering from a ‘plain' brand image. To gain recognition, it presented a series of concept cars such as the COA, COA III and Costa but the most effective was the stunning 4200R. Presented at the 1989 Tokyo motor show, the 4200R's graceful proportions and curvy volumes were highly acclaimed by the public and the press.