85 Vw Cabriolet Karman Convertable 5 Speed Manual on 2040-cars

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Brazil contemplates safety exemption for VW Kombi as it goes out of production today [w/poll]

Brazil: the country of carnivals, indescribable beauty adjacent to abject poverty, Ayrton Senna and old Volkswagen models. Only they're not old - they're new, they're just based on old designs. The original Beetle continued production there long after it had been phased out elsewhere, but the original Kombi van has lasted much longer. That ends today, however, with the iconic VW Microbus ambling out of production on the last day of 2013.
VW kept making the van in Brazil with the original air-cooled 1.2-liter boxer four until 2005, after which the original design was updated with a 1.4-liter water-cooled engine. Today, however, it ultimately falls prey to safety regulations that mandate that all vehicles - no matter how old their design - need to have airbags and ABS, forcing Volkswagen do Brasil to cease production of the Microbus after a 56-year production run. But the latest word is that the Kombi (as it's presently known) could get a stay of execution - or at least a resurrection in short order.
According to reports, the Brazilian government is looking into granting the Type 2 Microbus an exemption from said safety regulations, reasoning that the van was designed long before the advent of airbags and ABS. If the measure goes through, the Kombi Last Edition (pictured above) could prove not to be the last at all. So what do you think, should the Microbus get an exemption from Brazilian safety regulations for nostalgia's sake? Vote in our poll below, then have your say in Comments.

2023 New York Auto Show Live Updates: Hyundai's surprise, Nissan's super stand, '24 Wrangler

The 2023 New York International Auto Show shifts into high gear Wednesday, April 5, and our reporters are already in the city, with events unfolding even as we speak. We'll being seeing cars in person, interviewing automaker insiders and snapping photos of vehicles and all the other oddities that pop up at an event like this and we'll be giving you live updates and color from the show floor along the way.  Ram, Hyundai, Subaru, Kia, VW and Jeep are all expected to show something new this week, and other automakers are known to be hosting off-site events that may produce news — expected or otherwise. Genesis has already revealed its GV80 Coupe, for example, along with the fact that it has been confirmed as a production model. And we're just getting started.  Read on below for our observations from the show floor and points beyond: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.     Green New York Auto Show Genesis Hyundai Jeep Kia RAM Subaru Volkswagen Concept Cars Electric Future Vehicles

2013 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo Convertible

Less Flower, More Power
Pardon our political incorrectness for a moment, but the Volkswagen New Beetle was, undeniably, a "chick car." There was almost nothing that the New Beetle offered to enthusiasts (of either gender), and by the end of its run, VW had even stripped all of the exciting engines from the car's lineup. Looking to resurrect some of the excitement behind the Beetle, the third generation of the iconic car ditched the cuteness when the coupe debuted for 2012, and now the 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible aims to show how much fun drivers can have without a top.
Celebrating almost six and a half decades of the Beetle convertible, Volkswagen is offering a trio of distinct special editions that celebrate three of the car's most popular decades (the '50s, '60s and '70s), but as one of the unofficial cars of the 1960s, it would almost be a crime not to test this version, right? Besides, this is also the only special edition to get the turbocharged engine. While our first drive of the 2013 Beetle Convertible was in the fuel-miser TDI variation, our two-week romp in the 2013 Beetle Convertible '60s Edition came just as peak convertible weather was kicking off down in Florida.