Volkswagen has simultaneously debuted the new Beetle this week both at the New York AND Chinese auto shows, in probably the biggest coup yet for the fast, fast-growing Shanghai show.

Already, the world loves it. The Beetle’s like that: everyone knows it, even if they are impassive to cars. By the looks of it, everyone loves it now, too, in a way they 1998 New Beetle could never quite manage.

If you can’t quite put your finger on it, Volkswagen gave a helping hand a few weeks before the shows. It didn’t show the full car – but DID show one of those crafty outline sketches so beloved of German-brand car designers.

(The idea is to define a car in as few a strokes as possible. Porsche were the first ones to do this, from memory, but now many’s the launch where the key side graphics of the car in question are shown on lanyards, press kits and press conference notepads.)

Thus, by the power of some very basic Photoshop manipulation, see the gallery below for why the new New Beetle is so cool, and the old New Beetle is so dowdy…

What’s interesting is how the outline sketch doesn’t show off the Beetle’s bold wheelarches. Surely these are just as much of a trademark as the side profile itself? Or, does Volkswagen reckon the REAL defining elements of the Beetle really can be paired back to just two lines?

I knew I’d love it from this sketch alone, though. The higher and flatter (and More Euro NCAP-friendly) front is nicer, and the flatter roofline plus more bug-like rear windowline is much more like a Beetle should be, to me. It’s a refinement of the original, rather than just scaling up the first one, cartoon-like, for modern times. A more sophisticated reinterpretation that I think works really well.

However, if any car design and car stylist experts wish to comment on the art and science behind the success of the new New Beetle, please be my guest!

Volkswagen has saved the home to one of its most famous cars.

Fittingly, it’s with the car that later saved the brand when the Beetle was substituted from the mainstream. Yes, the Golf.

As of March 18, production restarted at Volkswagen’s Osnabruck plant in Lower Saxony. This has only been a Volkswagen facility since 2009, mind: before then, it was the Karmann plant, which used to produce models such as the Mercedes SLK and Spyker C8 Spyder on a contract basis.

Volkswagen, of course, has worked with the Karmann chaps in the past, and not just on the Karmann Ghia. It’s made the Beetle Cabrio, Golfs Mk1 and Mk3 Convertible, Sciroccos I and II, Type 34 and the sublime Volkswagen Corrado. Quite a VW-centric history (and that’s before you throw in Porsches 912, 914 and 968).

Karmann, though, went into administration in April 2009, due to falling demand. Many of its contractors were taking the cabrio or coupe-convertible models Karmann specialised in back in-house.

Volkswagen revealed it had made an offer to buy its old pal Karmann in October – sealing the deal the following month (with rival roof maker Valmet taking on some of the CC-building facilities). And now, production has restarted… with a new Cabriolet version of the Golf.

1250 jobs have been saved, and 1800 people will be employed there by the end of the year. ‘Many past joint projects unite us with the colleagues here,’ said Bernd Wehlauer, Deputy Chairman of the Volkswagen Group Works Council.

It’s a lovely story, that is set to grow: In the future, Osnabruck is also going to serve as an ‘overflow’ plant for the Porsche Boxster and Porsche Cayman. This used to be served by Valmet in Sweden, but that deal ends next year when Valmet starts making the Fisker Karma (indeed, it’s already started production).

Osnabruck’s total capacity? 100,000. That’s a lot. What else does VW have planned for Osnabruck, then? That’s the really intriguing part: time will tell…

+ VW Passat 2011: A Flickr road test

+ Volkswagen Golf dials in extra speed

+ The perils of practice on a press car

The Volkswagen Golf Bluemotion has a speedometer that reads up to 160mph.

Slightly optimistic, that: the official top speed is 118mph. It still would have earned me top rankings in the ‘who’s dad has the fastest car’ league, though.

But now, look at the Golf GTI dial set. Same dials, same layout, same colourscheme – but, lo: the speedo’s sporting a different scale, with slightly smaller numbers. That’s because it reads up to 180mph, befitting the GTI’s extra potency.

There’s more, too. The Golf R is obviously different, thanks to its gorgeous blue needles. Notice something else, though? Yup, the speedo scale is even more condensed – because it reads up to a full 200mph.

The story of progressively faster Golfs, in a family of three instrument packs. And it’s not a precedent VW’s setting here with the Golf 6, ether: it’s always used different scales for Golfs of increasing potency.

The Golf 2, for instance, came with a 120mph speedo scale as standard. In the GTI 8v, it crept up to 140mph. And the gorgeous Mk2 16v? You’ve got it – 160mph was its prize.

In a way, then, the Golf Bluemotion is, in the dial stakes, taking up where the 16v Golf 2 left off.

And, neatly tying up it all? Yes, thanks to www.golftiforum.co.uk, a Mk2 160mph dial conversion that sports a Golf 6 R-style blue floodlight colourscheme.

VW details: see why there’s such a cult following?

SKODA has just launched the Superb estate to the UK press, prior to its on-sale date this Friday (26 February 2010).

Much delight from me on a brief launch visit – particularly with the value, the space, the rear legroom, the prices, the lush ride and the sublime 1.8 TSI engine.

For under £19k, it’s an utter, utter bargain. If I had a growing family, I would have one – full stop.

During the drive, though, I was amazed to find yet more to love. (If you know me, or visit here on occasion, you’ll know I’m not kidding, either).

Yes. The Skoda Superb estate has an oil temperature readout. Just like on a VW Golf GTD.

Almost as good as that, the dials do a fancy full sweep when you turn the ignition key. Just like on a VW Golf R.

It also has a rechargeable magnetic torch in the boot, that will shine a bright-white LED for 2 days non-stop. This isn’t like a VW Golf at all. But is just as car geek-pleasing.

I’d get me coat, naturally. But I lost it in the Superb’s 1865-litre boot. Ahem.

Golf R dials cool blue point

Oil be: It’s back

Colour lightens weird journo mood

BOLD colours are pretty badass. I love ‘em. Give me a colouring book and some BIG BOLD MARKERS and I’m sorted.

So it’s always appreciated here when car makers do colours well. Particularly when they’re backlit and glowing from one of my favourite motoring preoccupations, dashboards.

As promised in my knee-rub of the Golf R’s dials, here’s why I love my SEAT Exeo ST long-termer. Yup, its headlight switch.

Stay with me. Or, even if you don’t, savour the image. It’s like this:

•    Backlit in red
•    When the lights are on, the sidelight symbol changes to green
•    As it’s auto lights, when the function is active, this glows yellow

It means you get a veritable light-like kaleidoscope of colour at night: red, yellow, green. For nutters like me, it’s so unexpectedly appealing, it’s a treat to stop at traffic lights and stare.

Don’t unduly worry. We mutterers had a calling that means such things are, as you perhaps have gathered from this blog, everyday occurrences. Last week, for instance, I spent 10 minutes chatting with colleague CJ about the weighting of column stalks on said long-termer.

That’s a blog in waiting there too, I tell you.

In the meantime, I’ll get me coat.

Golf R dials cool blue point

Ford code read

My hit car colour of 2010

VOLKSWAGEN made our jaws drop in the 90s with its blue and red dials.

The key to it was, yes, the blue background, rather than the red needles. Red needles? Pft. We’d had them for years – it was a proper old school sporting trick, up there with punched leather steering wheels. And shiny black bits for the dash. And strict adherence to primary colours for seat trims.

There’s reason to salute Austin Rover here, too. The Maestro bringing us illuminated needles made VW’s work of genius over a decade later all the more (ahem) illuminating.

By Lord, though, did the R32 cause my dropped jaw to fall off. Years after people had genuinely started buying VWs for the blue and red dials, VW gave us super-special dials for its superhatch. With, yes, BLUE needles! On an ice-white background! Rrrubrubrub!

And so they continue in the latest Golf R.

I had to photograph and film them. See, if I hadn’t done so, I would have to stare at them while driving, and would crash. Indeed, my dially preoccupation would be complete if I called up the oil temperature readout, too.

Details such as this make cars. Well, they do for me, anyhows.

Look out soon for my thoughts on the lights switch backlighting illumination of my new SEAT Exeo ST long-termer. I know, I know – you can’t wait. I promise you, it’ll come soon…

Volkswagen Golf R dials on YouTube

Oil be: It’s back

BMW orange instruments

VOLKSWAGEN is finally pensioning off its long-serving 1.9-litre TDI diesel.

The car that really gave the modern diesel credibility has had a good innings, but it’s now being put out to pasture, after driving (almost) billions of VW Group cars off the production lines.

It’s been around in the Golf since 1994, after production was slowly ramped up in the Audi 80. Coming to the Golf was big-time for this then-startling new powerplant; because, unlike its rivals, Volkswagen had mated 1896ccs of blown four-pot to direct injection.

Controversial, this was, at the time. Direct injection is noisier and rattlier than indirect, you see; every single driver who’s experienced the 1.9-litre’s characteristic rattle ever since will attest to that.

The benefits, foresaw canny old Volkswagen, come in more compact combustion chambers. These lose less heat to the surrounding coolant – which, VW reckoned at the time, equals a 15 percent efficiency saving.

It was punchy. 90hp at 4000rpm was superb for 1994 – particularly in the 1145kg Golf (yes! I had to double-check: 1145kg, for the ‘heavy, safe and solid’ MkIII Golf? Now, a Clio weighs more…). This saw it to 60mph in 11.5secs; fast enough to have Autocar & Motor asking when the GTi-bodykit version would arrive. (Seems they were ahead of their time, too).

But just as impressive was the 149lb/ft torque output, particularly as it came in at just 1900rpm. This, remember, was before the days of PD pump-jet injection; the 1.9-litre TDI’s trademark low-rev surge is an inherent trait, it seems. It’s a damn strong engine from the innards out.

OK, said Autocar & Motor, the tickover is ‘boisterous’, which may put some off. Back in those diesel-pensive days, it more than likely did. A £2k price premium over oil-burning French rivals didn’t help its cause, either. But, such it always is for VW.

This couldn’t dim the significance of a fine engine, though. Even its first mainstream installation saw it mark itself out as special. Evolution through the years, particularly in the MkIV Golf, underlined its place in history.

Will its replacement, the 1.6-litre TDI, be as venerable? Time will tell. For now, though, here’s a cup of oil to a diesel that I’ve seen, through car magazines, develop, delight and dominate. Classic Diesel, here’s your first-issue feature car…

Volkswagen Golf looks to history for GTD inspiration

Volkswagen Golf GTD photostream on Flickr

Audi lit the way in ’88

ONE major advance of the Austin Maestro is often overlooked. Its fibre-optic instrument needle pointers.

Yes, indeedy.

See, in the olden days, cars used to have dials lit by a bulb drilled in the top of the dashboard. If, that is, they were lucky.

In time, makers such as Smiths integrated this into the dial itself, so the outside ring lit up. Very swish. But it was still somewhat coal-hole like in the dark.

Then, a few crazy car makers began to bedazzle awe-struck eyes like mine, with gorgeous backlit panels. These had all the lights behind the instrument face, with the numerals picked out in transparent plastic. The light shone through, as if the Lord himself had taken an interest, transforming night-time legibility.

But still the needles were just dumb sticks.

Enter the Maestro. And its fibre-optic instrument needle pointers.

How the motoring world today lives and breathes on these. Its influence is everywhere. It is the reason why the MkIV Golf got mouthwatering blue dials with red pointers. It’s how Volkswagen Group is able to differentiate stock instrument panels across different brands. It’s how Jaguar can refer to ‘Phosphorous Blue’ dial lighting in press info for the XF.

What is it? Well, just that. A fibre-optic, opaque-plastic needle. At night, light would shoot up it, bringing daylight to the entire needle. Like some sort of miraculous light sabre, it was Star Wars before your very eyes. It was why my Granddad had endless flat batteries on his Maestro Vanden Plas in winter.

Austin-Rover was dialling in a revolution here. How we should thus praise the majesty of the miraculous, mighty Maestro.

Rover rides with NASA

More on Mini’s classic brochure

Land Rover MINI has big future

VOLKSWAGEN’S Golf GTD is an inspired bit of engineering.

Take one Golf GTI. Remove petrol engine. Replace with 2.0-litre TDI 170. Job (almost) done.

OK, it has 40hp less, but it counters with 258lb/ft of torque, compared to the GTI’s 206lb/ft. Plus, on my drive home the other day, 60mpg. Tidy.

It looks fantastic. As with the Golf GTI, there’s just enough to mark it out as special – particularly here, with just-so 18-inch alloys.

I’ve road-tested it on Flickr, but there’s one device that merits special attention. The trip computer. Now, since the days of the MkI Golf, this has been a feature of VW’s GTIs. Today, it’s fitted to all Golfs, of course. But I was delighted to see one MkI/II must-watch has carried over.

Yes, the GTD has an oil temperature readout.

Which, even better, reads in degrees Celsius, just like my old MkII. Just like that car, it doesn’t say anything until 50degrees is reached – if the dashes are showing, never thrash it.

Experts reckon you need around 70degreees in oil for it to be working properly; oil doesn’t warm up as fast as water, so even if the water temp is reading ‘normal’, it’s still not fully safe to max the engine.

Normal operating temp is around 95 degrees. Just as it was, again, in my old MkII. Needless to say, as I did back in the day, I’d leave it showing permanently if this were my GTD.

Interestingly, it’s also highly sensitive. Trickle at 70mph and it shows 95. Come across a hill and it ticks up to 96 (extra load on the engine, see). Speed up to 80, uphill, and she’ll show 97, 98, 99: soon drops, though, when the load reduces.

I love this sort of stuff. Would never get bored of it. For me, it proves that, while most car makers continually strip instruments from the driver, there are a few that understand we still like to know what’s going on…

VW Golf looks to history for GTD inspiration

BMW tells me why its dials are lit in orange

Why Ford Econetics break the rules

VOLKSWAGEN wowed everyone in the Motoring Research office when it sent the Volkswagen Golf GTD to us.

I took it for a weekend, and almost became violent when it was taken away. Dan also fell in love with it. And CJ. Indeed, the entire office…

Find out why I was besotted in my Flickr photostream road test. You’ll get a sense of why from some of the images I chose to take.

Feel free to comment away, and do please let me know what you think!

MINI John Cooper S Works photostream on Flickr

Audi A6 3.0T photostream on Flickr

BMW Z4 photostream on Flickr