1965 Volkswagen Beetle - Blue - Pop Out Windows - Factory Sun Roof on 2040-cars

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Who wants to pay a million dollars for a VW Beetle?

The Volkswagen Beetle was always envisioned as a cheap mode of transportation, but now one is being offered for over $1 million by a dealer in the company's home base of Wolfsburg, Germany. So just what makes this Beetle so special? It's not the first one made, and it's not the last one made – but it comes close: This particular example is an Ultima Edicion – one of the final Bugs made in Mexico before production ended even there in 2003. It's decked out in beige with a black fabric interior and none – repeat, none – of the bells and whistles. With less than 75 miles on the odometer, it offers one wealthy buyer the rare opportunity to get an original Beetle (not some modernized incarnation thereof) in factory-fresh condition, which no one has been able to do for over a dozen years now. Does that make it worth the million-euro ($1.1M) asking price? Not if you ask us, no. But then we wouldn't count ourselves among the most dedicated Beetle fanatics out there.

Giorgetto Giugiaro launching new design firm

Giorgetto Giugiaro may have sold his remaining shares in the Italdesign firm he started, but he's not about to retire from the business altogether. According to an interview with Automotive News Europe, he's starting a new design consultancy. And he's taking his son, Fabrizio, with him. After working for established design houses Bertone and Ghia, the celebrated designer founded Italdesign Giugiaro in 1968. In 2010 he and his son Fabrizio sold 90.1 percent of the firm to the Volkswagen Group, with Fabrizio initially carrying on as its chief designer before Wolfgang Egger replaced him. Just months ago, the Giugiaros sold their remaining stake and resigned their seats on the board of Italdesign. The move came hot on the heels of the departure of ousted board chairman Ferdinand Piech, a longtime friend of Giorgetto's and the driving force behind VW's acquisition of Italdesign. Just because they're no longer affiliated with Italdesign Giugiaro doesn't mean, however, that the Giugiaros won't be designing cars anymore. They're reportedly working on establishing a new design house, and are discussing potential contracts with unnamed Chinese and South Korean automakers. The father-son pair could set up shop in a refurbished existing location (as the pragmatic Fabrizio favors) or build a new studio from the ground up (as the visionary father prefers). We'll have to hold on to see what direction the new firm takes, but most of all, we'll be looking forward to seeing what designs it produces. News Source: Automotive News Europe - sub. req.Image Credit: Volkswagen Design/Style Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Volkswagen italdesign giugiaro Giorgetto Giugiaro

2015 Volkswagen GTI: Introduction [w/video]

If you've ever met me, listened to me on the podcast, or come to know me through my writing during the last five years at Autoblog, the following phrase should not surprise you: I freaking love the Volkswagen GTI. I've long said that the GTI is the perfect daily driver for the everyday enthusiast – a car that offers as much practicality as it does performance, served up in a semi-premium, attractive package. I've preached the GTI's story to anyone who would listen, and I've managed to convince several people to actually go out and buy one (those folks later telling me they're super happy with their cars, by the way). As for this new, seventh-generation GTI, I'll offer a little backstory. In 2013, Volkswagen flew me to Germany to attend the Frankfurt Motor Show, where I also got to drive a number of the company's products, including the CrossBlue crossover concept. While waiting for my turn to pilot the CrossBlue in an airport hangar, one of the German PR folks directed my attention to a white, four-door GTI sitting outside, and said I was free to have my way with it for, oh, 20 minutes... on an empty runway... in the rain. This was my first experience with the new GTI, in a fairly loaded spec, with all the performance goodies. Needless to say, I loved it. But my other big belief about the GTI is that this car is truly perfect in its base form. The sixth-generation car was a blast without any dynamic controls or performance whats-its, and while those things certainly help make this new hot Golf a more enthusiastic package than ever, in my eyes, they aren't completely necessary. That's why, when it came time to order a long-term car, I took control of the options. The end result is the carbon steel gray GTI you see here, in four-door S (base) spec, with a six-speed manual transmission. Yes, I did outfit our car with the only two options available to S shoppers (aside from the $1,495 performance pack) – the $995 lighting package and $695 driver assistance pack – but other than that, it's a no-nonsense hot hatch. No sunroof. No leather. No fully power-adjustable seats. No navigation. No dual-zone climate control. No automatic headlights. No upgraded audio. The bottom line is that our long-term GTI comes in with an as-tested price of $27,895, including the $820 destination charge. That's right: a $28,000 GTI. What our car does have is everything you'd want in a GTI.