By Nat Shirley
Monday, Jan 9th, 2012 @ 10:21 am

Volkswagen has unveiled the latest permutation of the iconic Beetle, the E-Bugster Concept. Described by the company as a reinvention of the Beetle for the future, the E-Bugster Concept features racy styling in addition to an all-electric powertrain capable of a claimed 100 mile range on a single charge.

VW says that the E-Bugster’s name is a combination of “E” for electric, “Bug,” the nickname for the Beetle, and “speedster,” the designation for an open-top two-seater. Though the concept is clearly a hardtop, it still features a typical speedster profile thanks to a steeply raked windshield, shallow windows and an elongated, sloping roofline. Overall, the car is nearly three inches lower than a standard Beetle.

Other unique touches include a spoiler wrapped around the rear window, minimalistic 20-inch wheels and special C-shaped LED lights on either side of the front fascia that are mirrored by similarly shaped reflectors around back.

On the powertrain front, the E-Bugster features an electric motor with 114 horsepower (85 kW) and 199 lb-ft of torque that is paired with a lithium-ion battery battery pack, both of which are borrowed from the Golf Blue-e-motion EV. The 695 pound battery pack, which resides under the trunk floor and rear bench, helps the car travel “more than 100 miles” on a single charge according to VW (up from 93 miles in the Golf).

Inside, the E-Bugster employs EV-specific instrumentation like a driving range indicator, a display showing the battery’s charge state and a display that shows the driver the intensity of battery regeneration. In place of the tachometer is a energy consumption display that fluctuates with the car’s acceleration.

No word on whether the E-Bugster will make it to production.

Live photos by Chris Doane.

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