The German automaker Volkswagen decided to reveal the 2013 Beetle Cabriolet before the car’s public debut next month during the L.A. Motor Show. It comes with a soft top that needs ten seconds to fold and unlike the model it replaces, the new one “lies very flat, enabling good vision to the rear.” The car will be available with a similar engine lineup as the one offered for the hatchback, including a 1.2-liter TSI gasoline unit with 103 hp that will get a more frugal BlueMotion variant later on. Other gasoline engines include a 1.4-liter TSI with 158 hp and a larger 2.0-liter TSI that develops 197 hp. As for diesels, these include a 1.6-liter TDI with 103 hp (available with BlueMotion) and a beefier 2.0-liter TDI that generates a total output of 138 hp.
A VW spokesman mentioned that the upcoming 2013 Beetle Cabriolet will borrow the multilink front and torsion beam rear suspension of the hatchback, with the exception of the high-end 2.0 TSI model that will feature a four-link rear layout. The car will be built alongside the hatchback in Puebla, Mexico and will borrow the platform of the Jetta which by the way is a modified Golf VI version.
The 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet is going to get an active protection system that consists of two extendable modules that are located behind the rear seat back which will be automatically activated through the airbag control unit in the event of a rollover. VW mentioned that this system will deploy in a matter of milliseconds, thus offering protection for all occupants.
At the moment we don’t have any official information regarding the price tag of the car but most likely it will be about 3,000 pounds more expensive than the hatchback. The first units will be delivered in the summer of 2013. We will have additional details in November when the car debuts at the L.A. Motor Show.
