Automotive car

ABT Sportsline is currently working flat out on the Kempten version of the new VW Beetle. Plenty of heart and soul is also put into the development of the components, as Hans-Jürgen Abt underlines. After all the General Manager of the world’s largest tuner of vehicles from the Volkswagen group still raves about his first “bug” from Wolfsburg: “We implanted a 90 HP engine from a VW Bus into the Beetle, and gave it a pert bodywork, front spoiler lip and a rear spoiler. The car was real fun to drive, particularly on the windy roads here in Bavaria.”

The new Beetle should also be an agile fun car, so a real Speedle. Like its successful predecessor which was built over 50 years ago, it also has to be completely reliable. A Beetle runs and runs and runs – that was how it was and how it has to be in the future. “With regards to performance improvements we can only look at combining maximum enjoyment with maximum reliability and everyday usability in balanced ABT POWER packages”, explains Hans-Jürgen Abt. As a result the engines of the ABT Beetle are currently undergoing extensive testing, which is why the exact performance data will only be supplied later.
These levels are realistic, based on the experience of the Development Department at ABT: with the 1.2 TSI the series standard 105 HP (77 kW) will be increased to around 140 HP (103 kW), while with the 1.4 TSI (series standard: 160 HP/118 kW) around 210 HP (154 kW) can be expected. “The two-litre turbo VW offers 200 HP or 147 kW, and we expect that the ABT version will provide 230/240 HP”, says Hans-Jürgen Abt. The diesel versions of the Beetle will be economically-conscious Speedles: the 1.6 litre diesel engine will provide 125 HP (92 kW) instead of 105 HP (77 kW), and the 2.0 TDI will have 170 HP or 125 kW (series standard: 140 HP/103 kW). The ABT Performance Springs will ensure that the cool Beetle is fun to drive not just on windy Bavarian roads.Ty