New York Auto Show Wrap Up

While many believed that the New York Auto Show would end up being overshadowed by the Shanghai Auto Show occurring during the same week, New York did quite well for itself with many production debuts and concepts. While the overall trend was towards 40 mpg compacts and subcompacts the show also delivered on the performance side with several 400+ horsepower debuts. Subaru, Chevrolet, Hyundai, Honda and Kia unveiled new sedans while Jaguar and Ford showed face lifted versions of the XF and the Taurus. On the concept side Scion showed its own version of Toyota's FT-86 concept while Mercedes previewed its next A-class with a shiny concept. Let's take a look at the highlights from the 2011 New York Auto Show:

Best In Show: Volkswagen Beetle

The best in show competition came down to the Beetle, Scion FR-S concept and the Chrysler 300C SRT8. The Volkswagen wins for its excellent job of following up a retro design with one that is even more retro inspired yet still manages to look newer than the model it replaced, not an easy task. Volkswagen would do quite well for itself if the Beetle creates the same brand excitement as the previous New Beetle.



Best Concept: Scion FR-S Concept

Featuring a multitude of sharp creases and pronounced styling elements the FR-S concept looks the part as a modern interpretation of a compact coupe. Featuring a more than expected styling departure from the Toyota FT-86 concept leads to questions if both versions will make it to the states. Also interesting will be to see how the FR-S and the current TC mesh in the Scion lineup. Nevertheless if Scion can keep the concept styling into production the other questions may not matter much.



Best Performance Debut: Chrysler 300C SRT8

Looking exceptionally well in white with contrasting black painted grille and wheels the the high performance SRT8 finally makes the new 300C look great. The 465 horsepower Hemi V8 provides the performance necessary to back up the great styling.



Most Significant Production Debut: Chevrolet Malibu

The Malibu is vital for Chevy to continue improving its car sales at home and expanding oversees. Facing tough competition in the important mid size segment Chevy unveiled an interesting design that aims to blend a curvy front end with a sharper Camaro inspired rear. Perhaps Chevy's desire to expand Malibu sales abroad played a role in the design process. Time will tell if the Malibu finally captures the mid size category after the last generation was so close to the top, but not exactly there.



Best Paint Job: Mercedes Benz SLS AMG

Mercedes Benz takes the category with the SLS AMG in the traditional Gulf color combo that always looks spectacular. The A-class concept takes second place with a nice silver color that meshes well with its metal grille.

2012 Volkswagen Beetle Design Analysis

As the most anticipated New York Auto Show debut in our opinion, the VW Beetle had a lot of hype to live up to. After seeing the initial photos of the 21st century Beetle it appears that VW has lived up to the expectations by revealing a fresh take on its classic. The original air cooled Beetle sold over 22.5 million copies worldwide making it perhaps the most recognizable vehicle in the world. Following this type of success and such recognizable styling is no easy task. The 19998 New Beetle certainly used the original Beetle as a styling basis but featured a more angular design theme. The 2012 Beetle (the New moniker is now gone) actually returns closer to the original Beetle in styling. It now has a flatter roofline (but is only half an inch shorter overall) and new styling elements throughout. Upfront the changes are fairly small as the hood features sharper lines and the circular headlights receive LED daytime lights. A shorter windshield leads to an A pillar than can now actually be distinguished from the roof. The styling changes are most visible from the side as the windows get shorter and door lines are no longer completely linear. A nice touch is the 3-D effect right below the window line. The Beetle gained six inches in length that allowed the designers to give it a proper coupe shape, one that looks very much like a compact Porsche would. At the rear, the tail lights no longer mirror the headlights and rather follow a more rectangular shape, the turbo model features a spoiler. Inside, the Beetle receives a significantly more modern looking interior with modern necessities such as a navigation screen. Gone is the plastic flower vase of the New Beetle that generated so much conversation in the past. A nice touch is the twin glove box that pays homage to the original rear engined Beetle interior. In America, the Beetle will use the proven 170 horsepower 2.5 liter five cylinder as the base engine along with the efficient 2.0 TDI and the 200 2.0T horsepower turbo as options. A convertible version should debut next year after the coupe goes on sale this September. Further down the line is a 250+ horsepower R version that will give the Beetle additional performance credentials. Take a look at the gallery below to see the 21st century Beetle for yourself.