Volkswagen Beetle R Will Have 270 HP... in Europe at Least

The excitement over the upcoming Beetle R was short-lived, as recent reports from Car and Driver indicated the hot Bug will only have 240 horsepower or so, instead of the same power rating that the Golf and Scirocco manage from the same 2.0-liter turbocharged powerplant. More recent reports about the Golf R20 coming to the States shed new light on the problem, and we said that we suspected the power rating is only for the US model, which has to comply with EPA emissions regulations.

It seems that we were right with this one, as new info coming from the heart of Europe - German car magazine Auto, Motor und Sport - points to an output that’s on par with the Golf R and Scirocco R: 270 full, well rounded horsepower for the Beetle.

The car will be a front-wheel drive model, so no advanced four-wheel drive will be available. However, if it’s anything like the Scirocco then we are more than happy. Given the configuration and the easily tunable engine, the Beetle R will surely have motorsport applications - think one-make series.

But why would Das Auto not want a small, retro coupe with AWD when the floorpan is virtually identical to that of the Golf? Well, the hatchback needs to preserve its premium image and the heritage that comes from the R32.

How much will it cost? Well, in the States the Golf R will cost more than $30,000, while the Beetle Turbo goes for $24,165, and our money is on the hot Bug getting a sticker that’s right in the middle. On the Old Continent, prices will be much higher, but we can expect the Beetle R to cost about the same as the Scirocco.