Volkswagen’s new Beetle will have significantly more exciting styling than this heavily disguised prototype suggests, according to inside sources. The redesigned Beetle is due on sale in the late next year; it sits on a longer wheelbase than today’s car to free up more rear cabin space.
It also gets new styling that’s less cartoon-like than the late 1990s remake. The car scooped here is six months from production and the upper half of the body is undisguised. Giving it a sportier look are a more swept-back windscreen and flatter roofline, plus a more curvaceous rear window and hatch. The key front and rear shape and details, however, are hidden under disguise mouldings taken from today’s car.
Although the nose of the new car takes its inspiration from the original, the execution of the headlights, grille and detailing are in much higher-quality materials and with a higher standard of workmanship than the cute and simple look penned by J Mays, then at VW’s California studio, and now Ford design chief. The same goes for the rear end, which makes a closer genetic link to the original, in a similar way that the new Mini links with the old Mini. The new beetle will also spawn an open top version.
The upcoming Beetle will also break new technical ground for VW in offering a choice of two rear suspensions. The top-end variant of the Beetle will have a multi-link axle borrowed from the Jetta, whereas diesel and less powerful petrol units will employ a cheaper twist beam.
VW can offer this choice because the Beetle will be built in Mexico on the same production line as the new Jetta, which is also engineered with both cheap and expensive suspension systems. VW is hoping that a more maturely styled and engineered Beetle will appeal to more male buyers worldwide as the current model is mostly famous with the female audience. Sales of the Bug worldwide have fallen drastically as the model being sold now dates from late 90s.
The retro-styled Volkswagen Beetle was recently launched in India and it is selling in decent numbers as compared to its Italian counterpart the Fiat 500. Expect India launch to take place shortly after the new Bug is revealed in other global markets. Looking at the decent sales numbers, Volkswagen might take a step ahead and launch the cabriolet version of the upcoming Bug also in the Indian market when the new model bows next year.