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MOTOR TREND Magazine Names the Volkswagen New Beetle

15 December 1998

MOTOR TREND Magazine Names the Volkswagen New Beetle As 1999 Import Car of the Year

    AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Dec. 15 -- MOTOR TREND Magazine today
announced the selection of the Volkswagen New Beetle as the publication's
'99 Import Car of the Year.  In naming the winner, MOTOR TREND applauded the
New Beetle's artful styling, outstanding value, excellent safety designs,
roomy interior, fine-tuned suspension, and inviting fun-to-drive nature.
    MOTOR TREND's Import Car of the Year, along with the Car of the Year,
Truck of the Year, and new Sport/Utility of the Year programs, are widely
regarded as the most coveted awards in the automotive industry.  This is the
24th time that the publication has presented its Import Car of the Year award.
In choosing this year's winner, MOTOR TREND editors considered all new or
significantly changed '99 EPA-designated import cars and minivans, weighing
such factors as technological advancement, quality of assembly, safety, value,
performance, livability, and overall impact on the automotive market to
identify the most significant import car of the '99 model year.
    The release of Volkswagen's New Beetle has been one of the most
anticipated automotive introductions in years.  With styling based on the
original Beetle, one of the best-selling cars in history, the New Beetle
transcends its nostalgic value with a fresh, innovative approach to design and
a solid, well-engineered chassis.  Buyers have a choice of two engines: a
spirited 2.0-liter/115-horsepower gasoline-powered four and advanced 1.9-liter
Turbo Direct Injection diesel four-cylinder engine that's EPA rated at a
highly economical 49 mpg on the highway.  It offers outstanding safety
features -- such as dual front and side airbags, seat belts with pretensioners
and force limiters, anti-lock disc brakes, and an effective crush zone -- plus
an inviting list of standard features at a starting price of under $16,000.
    In naming the New Beetle as Import Car of the Year, MOTOR TREND's editors
write, "the New Beetle is much more than just a clever design.  This VW
delivers throughout.  It's genuinely fun to drive."  Noting the car's
innovative styling, they say, "the designers managed to mix just the right
amount of retro influence while blending in a snappy futuristic theme that
stands out on today's highways just as the original Type 1 did on the roads of
yesteryear."  In terms of driving performance, they call it, "a tight,
confidence-inspiring German road machine; one extraordinarily well equipped
and engineered for its price range," and go on to state, "The car feels solid,
controlled, and responsive, whether on the highway or a curvy road."  The
editors sum up their praise by noting, "The New Beetle is the best kind of
marriage between past and present.  It captures the spirit of our collective
memories and gives it substance through the type of solid, well-engineered
technology VW is capable of today.  Finally, the automaker has wrapped it in a
package that shouts value from every nut and bolt."
    The complete report on the '99 Import Car of the Year can be found in the
February '99 issue of MOTOR TREND, on sale January 5, 1999, and on MOTOR
TREND's Web site at http://www.motortrend.com.  MOTOR TREND Magazine, the world's
#1 automotive authority, is published in Los Angeles, California, by The
Petersen Companies, Inc.