2012 Volkswagen Beetle Silhouette Revealed!

Much buzz surrounding the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle has begun to surface as Americans got a first look at the exciting and iconic car's newest silhouette was revealed on the Oprah Winfrey Show. As a part of the world-renowned TV star's final Favorite Things episode, Ms. Winfrey gave every audience member a look at the 2012 Beetle, and then called in representatives from Volkswagen to hand out a new set of keys to each and every participant. The design element revealed in the show is more reminiscent of the original Beetle and more about this historic automobile's future can be read below in the full press release.

HERNDON, Va. – Today on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” Volkswagen revealed the design silhouette of its all-new 2012 Volkswagen Beetle, and then shocked her audience – by giving each of them a 2012 Volkswagen Beetle.

The all-new 2012 Volkswagen Beetle is an automotive icon, reinvented. The all-new, completely redesigned vehicle has been dramatically revolutionized by the same engineers and designers that brought the GTI and CC to life. After 12 years, the heart and soul of Volkswagen has evolved, exemplifying Volkswagen’s engineering excellence, power, styling and sophistication.

Oprah owns and drives a New Beetle and asked Volkswagen to help her recognize the time, talents and contributions of select viewers by giving them one of her favorite things, a Volkswagen Beetle. As one of the most iconic vehicles in America, everybody, including Oprah has a Volkswagen Beetle story and this reveal kicks off the next chapter of a great saga. Volkswagen is donating two hundred seventy-five 2012 Beetles plus applicable taxes and fees, to each member of today’s studio audience.

“Oprah Winfrey and the Volkswagen Beetle are two American icons, so when the “Oprah” show approached us with this incredible opportunity to share her Beetle experience with deserving viewers, we instantly wanted to be a part of it,” said Jonathan Browning, President and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America. “Our all-new 2012 Beetle exemplifies power, styling and sophistication, and is an automotive icon reinvented to create the new shape of performance.”

As revealed today, the new Beetle will feature a sportier, more aggressive stance, and features sleeker styling and a wealth of new technologies that provide a heightened driving experience. It is also customizable, with options that will offer the performance, styling, accessories and features that will appeal to everyone from the driving enthusiast to the driver motivated by value, excellent fuel economy and nostalgia.

The 2012 Beetle will be revealed in the spring of next year and will be available in showrooms next fall. U.S. pricing is not yet set, but with trim packages and unprecedented personalization and customization options, the Beetle will offer the performance, styling, accessories and features that will ensure there will be a Beetle for everyone.

The new design lines draw upon the vehicle’s legacy, but the 2012 Beetle will be a true, performance driving machine perfected by German engineering, offering a wealth of technologies that will provide a heightened driving experience over the previous generation. The 2012 vehicle is sporty, aggressive and comes with Volkswagen’s carefree maintenance and known safety standards. The vehicle will offer dual exhaust, 19-inch wheels, sport seats and new, sleeker styling. New technologies, like Bluetooth, touch screen radio, branded audio speaker systems, navigation and unique ambient lighting provide a heightened driving experience.

Eich Exclusive: A 2011 Jetta Visit

Today we had an exclusive look at the all-new 2011 Volkswagen Jetta. Two Volkswagen Representatives from Michigan visited Eich Motor Company and I had a chance to put my hands on the vehicle we won't see for at least another couple of months.

This wider, and seemingly longer new Jetta was dressed in black and the most striking feature when seeing it in person are the rather aggressive front headlights, not as clearly depicted in VWoA's official artwork. The angular and very clean-cut headlamps give this Jetta a meaner and down-to-business appearance that I would have never expected from photographs alone.

That being said, everything about this 6th generation Jetta oozes class beyond its predecessor. The interior, most notably, seems polished much like the 2010 Golf. The dash, center console, and seating surfaces exhibit a more luxurious appearance, but more noticeable is a certain cleanness or orderly arrangement of buttons, knobs, and indicators. VW once again proves that they can present a tailored "less is more appearance" - without the disappointment of less.

The other striking feature of the new Jetta are the rather Audi A4-like taillamps, shown here, in a more modern variation as is the norm in VW's striking new vehicle design theme. Look for these design cues later this year in a refreshed Touareg, Tiguan, Eos, and, who knows what awaits at the LA Autoshow this Fall, when the 2012 New Beetle design is unveiled.

VW has done a far better job presenting the Jetta than the likes of my iPhone camera does here, so visit VW.com for more photos and specifications. I only felt the need to present my first, in-person impressions here. All signs point to a more stylish, less-expensive Jetta (well-equipped at around $16K). Less certainly looks like more in this Jetta's case; especially when more costs less.

2011 MAZDA2: Coming Soon!

Mazda North America has been preparing for the upcoming launch of the 2011 MAZDA2, and Eich Mazda is thrilled to be able to offer a vehicle of this compact size, fuel efficiency (35mpg!), and extreme value. As more details become available about this upcoming model, we'll make a point to post it here. Check back often for more information! Here are a few specs as a teaser.

Pricing Sport Touring

MSRP $13,980 $16,185

Engine 1.5L 4Cyl.

Horsepower 100hp@6000 rpm

Torque 98-lb. ft.@4000 rpm

Redline 6300

Fuel Economy 28/35 Manual 5-sp

28/34 Auto 4-sp.

Standard Sport features:

Halogen headlights, Dual power outside mirrors,

Chrome exhaust outlet, Rear wiper/washer,

Body color door handles, roof-mounted antenna,

15" Steel wheels, 4-speaker AM/FM/CD/MP3 Stereo

Added Touring features:

Rear lift gate spoiler, 15" Aluminum Alloy wheels,

Halogen fog lights, Cruise control with steering wheel

mounted controls, Red-piping on seats, leather-wrapped

steering wheel, 6-speaker AM/FM/CD/MP3 Stereo,

Trip computer with temp. display

Available colors: Brilliant Black, Aquatic Blue (avail. later),

True Red, Spirited Green, Liquid Silver Metallic,

Crystal White Pearl Mica

What To Do If Your Vehicle Accelerates Out Of Control

Buy German-engineering!

In this video posted today by ABC on how to stop your vehicle if it accelerates out of control, Senior Automotive Engineer with Consumer Reports, Jake Fisher, shows the dos and don'ts if your vehicle malfunctions. He makes some life-saving discoveries and unveils some excellent information for those in the market for a new vehicle. Many vehicles do not have the braking abilities to stop the vehicle if it's reached dangerous speeds.

He later shows the German-engineered abilities of the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen and explains that most German vehicles have a brake override that even while accelerating will bring the vehicle, "quickly and easily to a stop." According to Mark Barnes, COO of Volkswagen of America, Volkswagen gas models have had the brake override feature since 1993 on diesel models and all gasoline models have this feature since 1999.

Copy and paste the link below to share:

http://abcnews.go.com/video/video?id=8980024

See this important safety message and remember that our vehicles are engineered for the Autobahn with break-neck speeds of over 100 mph. Test drive a VW today! ;) They could save your life.