Volkswagen brought a beach and pop singer Katy Perry to New York City's Times Square to show off the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta, which was officially unveiled this morning. We're not sure how either item is relevant to the new Jetta, but what we do know is that the new car will be larger and have a lower price of entry.

We already previewed the new Jetta, but now we have the skinny. At 182.7 inches long, the new car is 3.5 inches longer than the old one. Height is 57.1 inches and width is 70.1 inches. The gain in length translates into a 2.6-inch gain in rear legroom, now up to 38.1 inches. Credit the Jetta's move from the Golf platform to one of its own for the size increases.

Four engines will be available in North American markets--a 2.0-liter TDI diesel, a 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine, a 2.5-liter five-cylinder gasoline engine (R5 models), and a 2.0-liter four-cylinder TSI (turbocharged/supercharged combo) gasoline engine. Power numbers aren't available, except for VW's claim of 236 pound-feet of torque from the TDI, which will have common-rail fuel-injection. A manual transmission will be standard, and an automatic will be available. TDI and TSI models will be available with VW's six-speed dual-clutch Direct-Shift Gearbox (DSG).

Trim levels are as follows: S, SE, SEL, TDI, and 2.0-liter GLI.

The interior gets a makeover, and the rear seat will be a 40/60 split-folding unit. On the outside, the styling is clearly influenced by the NCC Concept that VW showed in Detroit at the 2010 North American International Auto Show, with a few cues taken from the company's CC "four-door coupe."

Volkswagen has little to say about safety features, other than the car will be available with up to six airbags when it goes on sale. Speaking of which, the on-sale date is this October, and the starting price will be around $16,000.

[Volkswagen]