[Pferdestarke]

It's the resurrection of the retro-modish German Bug. It's the Gen-3 Beetle!

Fundamentally, the original Beetle was about cheap, reliable, honest transportation. It was because of this lack of pretension that the Beetle was able to transcend its bargain-basement role to become a car anyone would drive, rich or poor, famous or anonymous.

The Gen3 Beetle needs to get back to those ideas. The Gen3 needs to be a genuinely cheap car again, it needs to be unashamedly basic, but also clever, useful, and reliable. The Gen3 Beetle should ideally sell in the US for around $10-$12,000 or so, and would compete with cars like the base Fiat 500, Chevy Spark, Mitsubishi Mirage, etc.

Now, these sorts of cars are rarely appealing for companies in the US market. That's why this Gen-3 Beetle should be designed as something that would be a volume seller in China and India as well. The Beetle needs to get back to its genuine People's Car roots, and to do that you've got to go where the people are.

And here we are!

Volkswagen has revealed four new Beetle avatars at the New York auto show. The line-up includes two cabriolet and two coupé concepts — the Beetle Cabriolet Denim, the Beetle Wave convertible, the Beetle Pink Edition and the Beetle R-Line concept.

The Beetle Cabriolet Denim concept is finished in 'Stonewashed Blue' and has been designed to honour the Jeans Beetles of the '70s, '80s and '90s. The soft-top is finished in a darker denim shade than the body, while the cabin carries the same shade as the body. The seats are finished in light blue denim and feature red and white stripes.

The second convertible concept is the Beetle Cabriolet Wave, and is finished in a bright orange. The inspiration supposedly comes from the east and west coasts of the USA, and the American surfing culture. It gets wood detailing on the inside.

The Pink Edition, as the name suggests, uses a lot of pink. The exterior is finished largely in a metallic paint shade, while the wing mirror housings and side body mouldings have a dark Adamantium shade. The main exterior colour spreads to the interior as well, although the seats feature some pink detailing.

Lastly, the R-Line concept is more focussed on performance. It is powered by a 217bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine that will be carried over to the production car. On the inside, it gets bucket seats with bolsters finished in a leather-carbon style. This also spreads to the door inserts and steering wheel. There’s also some yellow stitching, for contrast. Along with these cosmetic changes, the R-Line is 14mm wider than the standard production version of the Beetle, thanks to elements such as restyled bumpers. It also gets a large rear spoiler and 20-inch alloys.

Source: Autocar

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Pferdestarke

That's why this Gen-3 Beetle should be designed as something that would be a volume seller in China and India as well. The Beetle needs to get back to its genuine People's Car roots, and to do that you've got to go where the people are.

Looks like upcoming variants of the new Beetle, rather than a redesign. Don't see it becoming any bit more popular in countries like India / China just by introducing soft-top options. And the pink concept might actually drive more people away rather than attract.

[Pferdestarke]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Looks like upcoming variants of the new Beetle, rather than a redesign. Don't see it becoming any bit more popular in countries like India / China just by introducing soft-top options. And the pink concept might actually drive more people away rather than attract.

I second you on this "Beetle not becoming popular" and I'd ascribe this to the extortionate pricing in countries like India and China. The Beetle was originally developed to be an affordable buy for the folks which has become contrariwise now, at least in our country. If priced reasonably there could've been decent number of these German bugs rolling on our roads by now!

[1100D]

All the modern Beetles have lost one crucial aspect, the Engine/Drivetrain layout. Without which, it is just another car with a fancy dress clothing.

[volkman10]

Rumors are afloat on VW discontinuing its iconic Beetle by end 2018, to concentrate more on crossovers.


http://www.autoevolution.com/news/vo...18-106561.html

[Viju]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Rumors are afloat on VW discontinuing its iconic Beetle by end 2018, to concentrate more on crossovers.

Actually, the time-line mentioned in the article makes sense. 2018 is when the Golf MK 8 is expected I believe. Since the Beetle and Golf share their platforms, may be VW did not financially wise to develop another Beetle.

Instead, I guess they will bring a CUV on the Golf platform and earn some much needed Euros (after all, VW will need it after paying off all the fines and penalties).