Considering its future goals, Volkswagen is working on making its Beetle more popular in a segment that has remained away from it since 1998 – the men. Volkswagen Beetle has been an iconic car since it was launched due to its appealing looks and special place in history. However, it has only remained a favourite of the ladies till now, as its appearance has been best described as cute, something that has kept the men at bay.
According to Jessica Caldwell, industry analyst at Edmunds.com, “Girls don’t mind driving masculine cars; I don’t think it works the other way around. Once a car is labelled a chick’s car, a lot of guys don’t feel comfortable driving it.”
Keeping this in mind, the manufacturer has revised its strategy concerning Beetle and brought out a revised model in 2012. This new iteration boasts of sporty looks and aggressive stance that should appeal to male buyers. The company also released a television commercial showing a man driving a Beetle and getting a high-five from an attractive woman and getting fist-bumped by a guy on a motorcycle.
Features that appeal to women, like the flower vase on the dashboard, have been removed from the model. The 2012 Beetle sports an elongated hood which gives the impression that it has been customised by a tuner. The interiors of the model have also been revised, in line with the other models sold under the VW brand.
The Beetle is crucial in VW's plans of overtaking General Motors as the largest car maker in the world. Since the company aims to double its sales in the USA in the next 6 years, it cannot afford to lose men, who constitute half of the prospective buyers.
Beetle is considered to be the Halo Vehicle in VW's portfolio, which means that it will draw buyers to the showrooms, who may end up ordering any of the regular models. The chief of Volkswagen USA, Jonathan Browning, said, “This is a vehicle that gets a lot of attention and brings a lot people into our showrooms. This is very much a symbol of VW, a symbol of connection with the US customer, and so that’s why I think of it as an enabler, an engine of growth.”
VW's new campaign seems to be working too, as the number of male buyers has increased since the new edition of Beetle was introduced in September. While 29 per cent buyers of the model were men, now this figure has increased to 43 per cent according to the company. VW is emphasising on the optional turbo power of the car while promoting it and has also collaborated with Microsoft for a Xbox video game console featuring the model.
Talking about this initiative, Tim Mahoney, Chief Product and Marketing Officer, VW USA, commented, “One of the goals, obviously, was to potentially attract a more-balanced buyer group. We’re seeing that happen.”
As per Edmunds, 50 per cent buyers of Beetle were men in December 2011 itself as compared to 36 per cent in the same month of the previous year. However, Beetle has remained the preferred model among women in USA, as it boasts of the third highest percentage of female buyers. Though the new iteration of Beetle cannot be called macho, it still would not be shunned by men like its predecessors. The introduction of diesel variant will also boost sales; men bought 70 per cent of total diesel Beetles sold between January 2011 and February 2012.
