Volkswagen Debuts iBeetle in China

This is the time when no automaker is leaving an opportunity to make their cars tech friendly, and this time around it's the two iconic products iPhone from Apple, and the Beetle from Volkswagen have come together. The iPhone will interface with the Beetle and Beetle Convertible via a specially developed app and a docking station. The iBeetle is the first model line from the Volkswagen Group in which the iPhone will become an integrated component.

Volkswagen offers two different ways to acquire the innovative interface between iPhone and Beetle: as an app or as a standard feature of the new iBeetle and iBeetle Convertible. Both special models will be launched at the beginning of 2014. The app, docking station and iBeetle will make their world debut at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show (20th to 29th of April). The newly designed docking station is located centrally on the dashboard of the Beetle: the iPhone simply snaps in to integrate it with the car. Essentially, all iPhone functions can be used in the Beetle; the iPhone can be used to navigate, make calls hands-free, listen to music, and much more.

When this special app is launched on an iPhone, it can either connect the phone to the Beetle via the docking station or wirelessly. The iBeetle is one of the first cars in the world to have a genuine integrative interface for the iPhone that was coordinated with Apple. As mentioned, the special model will be available as a Coupe and Convertible. The colors and equipment features of the iBeetle are stylistically linked to the Cupertino-based US company, bringing its iconic smartphones into harmony with what is certainly one of the world's most iconic automotive designs. 

The iBeetle, which will be available in early 2014, will come with other customized features in addition to the standard iPhone interface. On the exterior, they include standard features such as 18-inch "Disc" alloy wheels (painted in "Galvano Grey" with chrome wheel covers), door mirror housings and side trim panels (above the sill) in "Galvano Grey", black door sill plates with the "iBeetle" signature, "iBeetle" chrome badges (on the front fender) and a "Chrome pack" (includes chrome trim strips on the sides). In a nod to the iPhone's color scheme, the new iBeetle can be ordered in "Candy White", "Oryx White Mother of Pearl Effect", "Black Monochrome", "Deep Black Pearl Effect", "Platinum Grey", or "Reflex Silver".

Inside, steering wheel accents and the dash pad are executed in "Galvano Grey". The iBeetle is also upgraded by a customized shift lever grip, black sport seats in "Vienna" leather, and contrasting seams in light "Ceramique".