2016 Volkswagen Beetle Denim a Flashback to the 1970s: 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show
LOS ANGELES – If you don’t remember the Volkswagen Jeans Bug from the mid-’70s, the 2016 Beetle Denim will seem a bit odd. Pants-themed cars are indeed unusual. But such limited-production badge-and-sticker variants are an effective way for automakers to prop up sales without incurring large costs.
Following its debut at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show, Volkswagen will be producing 2,000 examples of the Beetle Denim, all of which will be convertibles this time around. It’s positioned at the bottom of the Beetle range as a “value” model.
Changes are limited to cosmetic items – the soft top has a denim-like fabric, and there are unique seat coverings and denim-esque door pockets. Two colors will be available: Pure White or Stonewashed Blue.
There are no hardware changes unique to the Denim, but it enjoys the same enhancements to the infotainment system that other Beetles receive for the 2016 model year.
All Denims will be configured with a 170-horsepower 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine and six-speed automatic transmission.
Edmunds says: It’s not quite as quirky as the original, but the Beetle Denim is nevertheless a discreetly unique variant that’s whimsical and accessible.
