The new Beetle will be introduced in South Africa in mid-2012, said Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) sales and marketing director Mike Glendinning at the Johannesburg Motor Show on Thursday.

“The new Beetle is less about flower and more about power,” he noted.

The “more bold” Beetle will be available in high output 1.2 and 1.4 engines.

VWSA MD Dave Powels noted that his company’s Uitenhage plant, in the Eastern Cape, would produce a record number of vehicles this year, at 137 000 units, with 81 000 new Polos exported.

The local arm of the German manufacturer produced around 125 000 vehicles last year.
 

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