Heidi Klum & Volkswagen Present Customised Pink Barbie New Beetle Convertible

Heidi Klum with customized pink New Beetle convertible at Barbie's Dream House 50th Birthday Party

By Zack Newmark
March 10, 2009 10:30 PM
Filed Under: Concept Car, German, Volkswagen

First the Fiat 500 now the Volkswagen Beetle. VW of America rolled out an all-pink Volkswagen Beetle cabrio to help Mattel celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Barbie doll.

Supermodel Heidi Klum was part of the celebration, which took place at the real-life Malibu Dream House in Malibu, California.

The car was customized by ABD Racing Werks, with Katzkin Leather & Interiors and FoamMolders also working on the cabrio. Inside, the car features a white leather interior, with quilted pink leather door liners, seat inserts, and arm rests. Floor mats used were hand stitched as well. Interior body panels are the same color as the exterior. These parts also match several bits of plastic found under the hood, like the engine cover and dipstick handled. In the trunk is a motorized vanity, covered in rhinestones and mirrors.

"Like the New Beetle, Barbie has made a remarkable impact on pop culture history, and still remains a cultural icon today," said VW marketing GM Laura Soave.

Source: VW USA

Press Release (Click to expand)

Volkswagen of America, Inc. helped Mattel celebrate Barbie® doll's 50th Birthday by transforming a New Beetle convertible into the ultimate Barbie® dream car. The life-size pink Malibu Barbie^TM New Beetle convertible made its debut at Barbie® doll's Malibu Dream House® exclusive birthday celebration. Customization artists ABD Racing Werks, Katzkin Leather and Interiors and FoamMolders fully transformed the iconic New Beetle convertible into the perfect Barbie® ride.

"We are extremely proud to partner with Mattel and create a customized New Beetle convertible to celebrate Barbie's landmark birthday," said Laura Soave, General Manager of Marketing, Volkswagen of America, Inc. "Like the New Beetle, Barbie has made a remarkable impact on pop culture history, and still remains a cultural icon today."

From top to bottom and interior to exterior, Barbie® doll's New Beetle convertible has left no detail unfinished. From the white custom leather interior and convertible top to the hand stitched floor mats and pink quilted leather lined door pockets and arm rests, even the dipstick is painted to resemble her favorite lipstick. The New Beetle convertible is equipped with a motorized vanity in the trunk and plenty of rhinestone accents and vanity mirrors. Over five shades of paint were mixed together to create the perfect pink color for Barbie® doll's car.

The customized pink New Beetle convertible was prominently on display as the pink carpet was rolled out for the Barbie® celebration at her real-life Malibu Dream House®. Barbie® doll's house is a 3,500-square-foot home in Malibu, CA, decorated by famed "Happy Chic" interior designer Jonathan Adler. The Barbie® birthday festivities were complete with 1,800 pairs of Barbie® sunglasses, 3,500 pairs of tiny shoes, 3,500 mini handbags and numerous Hollywood celebrity guests.

Last year, Volkswagen celebrated the 10th anniversary of the introduction of the New Beetle convertible. With its distinct shape, the iconic New Beetle convertible is one of the most recognized models in the world.

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Tags: Volkswagen New Beetle

Comments

BabyMilo

March 10, 2009 11:00 PM

Hmmm, interesting. I dont think that we are going to have a line around the block to buy one.

carcrazy1234

March 11, 2009 4:03 AM

1. i'm embarrassed FOR her lol 2. how much is the resale value of this contraption NOW? as much as a barbie doll?? hahaha ohhh man Ken would like this :P along with barbie on the hood..... if she can prevent sliding off it 3. if i see this with my own eyes... i shall shoot it haha

Wickedated

March 11, 2009 4:32 AM

god...........................

motorjedi

March 11, 2009 6:36 AM

Heidi oh Heidi, you were my favourite woman in the world until I saw this. Why babe? And besides, doesn't this brand-clash with that Fiat 500 Barbie edition we saw a while back?

tbrodie

March 11, 2009 8:36 AM

I remember asking VW about the sales demographics of the New Beetle in 1999. At that time, there was an even 50:50 split of men and women buying the car.

Don't grieve for Heidi, she's grinning her way to the bank.

This one kicks the New Beetle pretty deep into the chick camp. Clearly, the New Beetle is ready for replacement. No tuner can turn this one around at this point.

tbrodie

March 11, 2009 8:39 AM

Gosh, they just had to add the quilted pink just to take it beyond a Valentine's Day Whitman's Sampler.

msinisa

March 11, 2009 6:41 PM

will buy one for my girlfriend

moxie

May 6, 2009 5:22 PM

My daughter is dying for one for her 16th birthday. It makes perfect sense for a girl 16-23 with a fun personality. I've looked at it in person and it's looking like we'll buy one this year. I've been researching it for about 6 months and they are very hard to come by. The resale value is actually Great! The custom paint job on pink beetles in CA and TX is an additional $5K and they're getting it.

Edited by user on May 6, 2009 at 5:27 PM

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