VOLKSWAGEN HAS decided to launch the Beetle in India in three months. The Beetle is the world’s longest running and most-produced car of a single design.Neeraj Garg, Volkswagen India’s director for passenger cars said that Volkswagen is expecting a much better response for the Beetle, which carries a very high iconic value.”

Popularly called the Bug, the Beetle will come with a 1.9-litre TDI diesel engine and a 5-speed manual transmission. The Bug will come with rain sensors, cruise control and acoustic rear parking sensors. The iconic car will also have safety features like the Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), traction control, anti-skid system as well as standard front and side airbags.

The car is likely to carry a fat price label of around Rs 20 Lakh. This is mainly because of the 110% import duty and high safety specifications. The Indian unit of Volkswagen said pricing the Beetle competitively was a big challenge for the company and blamed taxes and logistics for the high price. “But we are working very aggressively on Beetle’s debut in India,” said Mr. Garg.

The German carmaker, now owned by Porsche Automobile, which sells the Passat and Jetta models in India and will bring in the Polo by year end.