The next-generation Volkswagen Beetle, coming to the United States as a 2012 model, will eventually get a clean diesel engine, says Volkswagen Group of America President Stefan Jacoby. The United States also will get an electrified version of VW's Up! hatchback in 2014, but the German automaker said it will not offer Americans a gasoline-powered version. In a world debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show, VW unveiled a four-seat electric concept, the Up! Lite ( below ). The three-door car has a two-cylinder diesel engine, a 10-kilowatt electric motor and a carbon-fiber roof. The car will be built in Germany and will go on sale first in Europe, said Ulrich Hackenberg, head of technical development for Volkswagen AG. “This is a study to find out whether customers have an interest in very low fuel consumption,” Hackenberg said of the Up! Lite. “For American customers, it's very important to present themselves as
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Volkswagen Says U.S. to Get Diesel Beetle in 2011, All-Electric Up! in 2014
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