Oh yes, Volkswagen will invade this year’s Beijing Olympics. No. You won’t see VW participating in the games. But the automaker will play an important role in the 2008 Summer Olympics as its exclusive automotive sponsor.

In view of the sponsorship deal, the automaker will set free a number of Beetles to shuttle Olympic as well as government officials in Beijing. The Audi brand, moreover, will offer shuttle service for the VIPs.

In line with the Olympics sponsorship, the German automaker launched the Vmagination online Olympic art car design campaign in China. Beetles entertained some flamboyant paint jobs and unique Olympic designs. To view 6 of the special designs made to the Beetle, click here.

Separately, the Beetle, tagged the original ‘people’s car,’ is set to roll out on Indian roads in the middle of this year. "Volkswagen is known as Beetle in India. We have studied the market and feel that there is space for Beetle. We are planning to make it available in the middle of this year through imports," Adreas Prinz told PTI.

"The cheapest Beetle to be sold in European market is for around 17,000 Euros. Since we would be importing them into India, the car would be a little expensive for many," Prinz was quoted by Rediff as saying.

The Beetle, also known as the Bug, is by far, the most successful model VW has ever built. Though it was predicted before its launch that the Beetle will be a complete failure because of its odd styling, the car proved them wrong. The Beetle went on to ink solid car history.

At Beijing, sports enthusiasts will surely appreciate the legendary trails and styling of the Bug.

                                
The all-new VW GTI has been included in Car and Driver magazine’s 10 best cars in its 26th annual contest. It was announced a few days ago by Volkswagen of America Inc. For the fifth straight occasion, the GTI has notched this merit that includes a back-to-back 10Best selection for the 2007 and 2008 models.

According to the Auto Channel, the 2008 GTI offers a brand exciting driving experience. It is outfitted with its state-of-the-art 200 horsepower 2.0T four- cylinder engine that creates 207 ft.-lbs. of torque, completely independent sports-tuned suspension, forceful exterior styling, and a convenient interior that evenly blends functionality, elegance and a driver-first design and focus.

In addition to this, the 2008 Volkswagen GTI is a firm and hostile sports car with an offered automated manual DSG(TM) transmission that makes use of direct shifting, which by design depresses clutch-shift points more proficiently and faster than even a professional driver can.