Photo: Volkswagen
Back in the days of air-cooled engines, you could buy a lift kit for the VW Beetle and turn it into an offroad buggy. This thinking eventually led to the development of the Baja Bugs in the 70s.
With the latest generations of front-engined, front-wheel drive cars, that ruggedness has been lost. But back in January, Volkswagen gathered up all its design mojo and showed up with a beefy concept called the Beetle Dune in Detroit. This was longer, wider and stood further off the ground. Why? Because it wants to be a crossover, capable of fun in the sand and still at home in the city.
Six months later, the Beetle Dune is back to strut its stuff for the camera during a photo shoot organized at the famous German beach resort island of Sylt. The reason, made abundetly clear by their press release, is to show that while it's a concept "everything about it is feasible – it is practically a production vehicle."
Silencing the critics that say Beetles are for girls, this concept offers 19-inch wheels with large tires and 50mm (2 inches) of extra suspension. Like a Passat Alltrack, aluminum plates protect the underbelly from rocks and at the same time add to the looks.
Does the Beetle Dune make sense? At first glance it might not seem that way. After all, the Beetle hardly looks like the ideal bases for a tough adventure car. But as a lifestyle choice, as a "thing" to enjoy, the Dune stands on solid footing. The Bug's badge is deeply seeded and cultural, as with over 20 million made almost everybody on the planet has seen one.
With the next generation Beetle scheduled to arrive in 2019, a small update for the current model could arrive in 2015, an ideal time for the Beetle Dune to rear its production head. We can only wait and hope…
Six months later, the Beetle Dune is back to strut its stuff for the camera during a photo shoot organized at the famous German beach resort island of Sylt. The reason, made abundetly clear by their press release, is to show that while it's a concept "everything about it is feasible – it is practically a production vehicle."
Silencing the critics that say Beetles are for girls, this concept offers 19-inch wheels with large tires and 50mm (2 inches) of extra suspension. Like a Passat Alltrack, aluminum plates protect the underbelly from rocks and at the same time add to the looks.
Does the Beetle Dune make sense? At first glance it might not seem that way. After all, the Beetle hardly looks like the ideal bases for a tough adventure car. But as a lifestyle choice, as a "thing" to enjoy, the Dune stands on solid footing. The Bug's badge is deeply seeded and cultural, as with over 20 million made almost everybody on the planet has seen one.
With the next generation Beetle scheduled to arrive in 2019, a small update for the current model could arrive in 2015, an ideal time for the Beetle Dune to rear its production head. We can only wait and hope…
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