Photo: Saharudin Busri
Volkswagen dropped the Beetle like a bad habit last year, even though it's THE car that started the whole brand. The modern ones were Golfs in bug shells, but air-cooled classics have millions of loyal fans all over the world, so eventually, the Germans are going to need to reboot the franchise.
It's difficult to understand what went wrong with the two new generations of the Beetle. The first switched to a front-engined layout, which many fans complained about, but it worked for a while.
By the late 2000s, Volkswagen realized it couldn't rely on female customers alone, so it gave the "21st Century Beetle" a slightly more macho appearance, with a flatter roof and available trunk spoiler.
This editor liked the idea of owning one. The Beetle GSR and Dune were pretty cool. But the models with the 2.0-liter turbo never sold in high-enough numbers to lower second-hand prices.
There's no way Volkswagen is going to make another Golf-based Beetle, but we might be able to talk them into an EV, based on the MEB platform. It's abundantly clear that designers are already thinking along those lines, after showing the ID. Buggy concept.
The latest reports also talk of a sports car co-developed with Porsche and Audi using racing batteries developed for the ID.R. The advantage of using the MEB platform would be that the Beetle could finally return to its roots - rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive.
For a bit of inspiration, we're showing the rendering set created by Saharudin Busri. The same person that made the Mercedes sewing machine gave new like to the Beetle shape.
Two clever design ideas stand out here. One is an oval circle shape for both sets of lights, crossed by an illuminated strip. The other is a long glass roof curving from the rear spoiler. It's obviously not practical for a hatchback, but you have to remember that the Beetle ID would have batteries and a motor back there, so there's no need for a trunk. You can have it in the front, combined with a shelf accessible only from the cabin.
By the late 2000s, Volkswagen realized it couldn't rely on female customers alone, so it gave the "21st Century Beetle" a slightly more macho appearance, with a flatter roof and available trunk spoiler.
This editor liked the idea of owning one. The Beetle GSR and Dune were pretty cool. But the models with the 2.0-liter turbo never sold in high-enough numbers to lower second-hand prices.
There's no way Volkswagen is going to make another Golf-based Beetle, but we might be able to talk them into an EV, based on the MEB platform. It's abundantly clear that designers are already thinking along those lines, after showing the ID. Buggy concept.
The latest reports also talk of a sports car co-developed with Porsche and Audi using racing batteries developed for the ID.R. The advantage of using the MEB platform would be that the Beetle could finally return to its roots - rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive.
For a bit of inspiration, we're showing the rendering set created by Saharudin Busri. The same person that made the Mercedes sewing machine gave new like to the Beetle shape.
Two clever design ideas stand out here. One is an oval circle shape for both sets of lights, crossed by an illuminated strip. The other is a long glass roof curving from the rear spoiler. It's obviously not practical for a hatchback, but you have to remember that the Beetle ID would have batteries and a motor back there, so there's no need for a trunk. You can have it in the front, combined with a shelf accessible only from the cabin.
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