Volkswagen is hoping to attract more male customers for the Beetle with the new redesigned version. The Beetle has been a favorite amongst ladies and around 65 percent of American customers buying the car are female. But with new design features and improved power, the German automaker hopes to sell this model to more men and make the customer ratio 50:50, between male and female buyers.

According to Rainer Michel, the vice president of product marketing from Volkswagen America, the redesigned Beetle will be more masculine with its higher beltline and increased power. The average age of a Beetle owner is aimed to drop from 58 to 36 in the US, according to Michel.

This model is projected as a rival to the Mini, Scion, Ford Mustang and the Chevrolet Camaro. The automaker hopes to sell more units of this model than it did in the last few years. The redesigned Beetle in the US will be powered by a 2.5 liter inline five cylinder engine initially. This engine has a power rating of 170 hp and a maximum torque of 177 lb-ft. The engine will be mated with a five speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. Another version will follow this one and will feature a turbocharged four cylinder engine producing 200 hp.

A diesel version of the new redesigned Beetle will also be available in the near future. A turbo diesel version will be launched in the US market, followed by a convertible, in early 2012 summer. The base model of the new redesigned Beetle will be available at price of $19,765.

via speedlux