Volkswagen is planning to unveil a new car model in Taiwan after the Lunar New Year holiday, a sales agent for the German auto manufacturer said on 12th February in Taipei.

Taikoo Motors said Volkswagen will launch the new model, a third-generation Beetle in a bid to overcome the slow season effects and spur buying interest after the holiday ends on 17th February.

Many consumers in Taiwan have been waiting for the new Beetle for more than a year, the sales agent said, adding that it has already received pre-sale orders for about 50 units so far this year.

Volkswagen is scheduled to deliver around 400 new Beetles to Taiwan in March and local consumers are likely to snap them all up, Taikoo Motors said. The third-generation Beetle has two doors and compared with earlier models, is "substantially wider, the front hood is longer, the front windshield is shifted further back and has a much steeper incline," according to Volkswagen in 2012, Volkswagen was ranked as the biggest German car vendor in Taiwan, with sales of 13,624 units, a 9% annual increase. It was seventh largest car vendor in Taiwan overall, with a 3.7% market share.

Audi, another German auto manufacturer, is scheduled to launch a new sports sedan in Taiwan after the New Year holiday. The new model, carrying a price tag of nearly NT$ 5 million (US$ 168,919), is expected to polish Audi's brand image among local consumers. Last year, Audi sold a total of 4,000 cars in Taiwan and has set a goal of 5,000 units for this year.