Can we look into the future please! Enough with the retro, bring us some new cool models. and wont this compete with the new sirocco? make us a rwd 4 cylinder turbo coupe thats afordable.

can someone scan in the full illustration?

More Mark Stennneeennnbberrgerrr (sp?) drawings.

He’s been drawing for Road & Track for decades and has been wrong on every single sketched prediction that I have seen.

When I first saw the original Audi TT, I thought it was a modern Beetle proposal rejected by VW.

I love the kink in the roof, odd but interesting. I, too, wonder how this differs from Herr Sirocco.

Drop the beetle and bring it back in 20 years. Don’t change the shape. It’s my opinion that a “beetle” should always cast the same shadow.

———>know what, i kinda like that idea “Me” up above ^^

When they first came out I wanted one like everyone else, even with the engine in the wrong end. Over the years it turns out VW did a lot of nice design work but left quality out. Too many complaints about this car may help to explain the slow sales they are having today. Nothing like a redesign to fool people into buying your product again….wait……that’s not working anymore for the big 2.5. VW might be in trouble.

Maybe VW and Chrysler can join and beat up on Ford, nothing like a good fight between ICU patients.

Interesting comments. I wonder if the shape of the Beetle changes to something relatively close to the above sketches, if it starts to just eat into Golf/Rabbit territory. That being said, i think the whole “retro” thing is starting to get a bit tired. It’s one thing to do a modern interpretation of a classic, such as the Mini, another to re-create what was, like the Challenger. there was a great parody column in the Onion a couple of years ago with the U.S. Department of History warning that if the trend continues that we would run out of “Retro” ideas in a few years and simply start copying ideas that were put out last Tuesday.

looks nice, but VW’s going to have 3 hatchbacks now with the Golf, Scirocco (if it makes production), and the Beetle

I love retro. Who wouldn’t want a modern Lamborghini Muira or Fiat X1/9 or Jaguar E-Type?

and dont make it a hatch, just keep it as a beetle

Nice designs. Just drop the “Beetle” name.

I say keep the beetle retro. give it hand me down technology. keep production and developement costs low because people that want these cars don’t care about much more than what they symbolize at this point.

Don’t mess with a good business/marketing formula, just refine it.

More space behind the front seats. Does that mean someone over the age of 3 can fit.

That’s the problem with retro, once a cars 3-5 year redesign cycle is up there’s no where for the designers to go. The retro thing has run it’s course. It was created to sell more cars to baby boomers, but it’s time to move on already. If it doesn’t they’ll be recycling K-car, Escort and Citation designs before we know it.

I think it looks good with the exception being that weird kink in the roofline. Nissan tried that with their SUV’s and it looks like garbage. I personally think that at times retro has its place in automotive design, it allows the designers to go back to the original and update it anew…take the cars in a new direction. Like what this sketch does with the Beetle and what that Italian Mustang has done with the the retro Ford. When companies get stagnant with it though (think the revived T-Bird) then it’s a wasted opportunity and wasted R&D.

Vroom I disagree. I wouldn’t say there’s no where for Porsche designers to go for example. I just think where they’re going is clearer. I say other iconic cars should be the same.

Me — “Drop the beetle and bring it back in 20 years. Don’t change the shape. It’s my opinion that a “beetle” should always cast the same shadow.”

Me is right. I think the Beetle should be canned, do thery really sell that many anymore?

Euro Laners is true that they don’t even care about the Beetle in Europe? Put R&D monies into cooler stuff.

i think itll target a whole different market than the scirocco, and itll probably be built on all the same underpinnings therefore making it relatively cheap for them to put out. Beetles are for chicks, sciroccos are for guys.

Subdue the “retro” and I think calling it Beetle will not be lost on the public.

I dont think this is a good idea at all. I think they should take the same attitude with the beetle that Porsche takes with the 911. Refine it over time but always keep it the same. The beetle is a car with so much history they shouldn’t mess with its unique shape. They have plenty of other cars they could get original with. Leave the beetle a beetle.

History only goes so far. The current Beetle is an atrocity.

VW owns Audi, Lamborghini, Bentley (or was it Roll Royce), and part of Porsche if not the whole thing. They aren’t going anywhere. Heck, they are one of the healthiest car companies in the world right now.

Renton, the Beetle is seen as a bit of a “California special” in Europe, it was interesting for a year or so but as soon as the MINI came out the retro hatchback buyers voted with their chequebooks.

Apart from the sketch of the convertible, this concept seems to be stretching the Beetle association a bit far. Wouldn’t it be cooler to put the Beetle name back in the box for a while and revive something else cool instead, perhaps the Kombi or the Thing or a beach buggy

well, I kind of like the idea of a 3 door.
Scion sold nearly 80,000 (3 door) tC’s last year.
Saturn (Opel) Astra’s are coming in the Fall of 07, 5 and 3 doors.
Why not? If the thing is at least the size of the 3 door Astra( rumors have it a bit over 167 inches total length, up to 171 inches total length), then I would look at this.
If it is kept at the current length…….. No.

I’d rather see them drop the whole niche vehicle idea and use the Fox or Polo platform for a new Beetle. Bringing it back to its roots as an inexpensive smaller car attainable to all people. Using one of these smaller platforms would allow VW to take on the other small sub-$14,000 entry level models head on. Most New Beetles get up over $20,000 with a few options. While Toyota Yaris starts at $11,000. VW would be stepping down a segment size allowing them to price it lower than the Rabbit. With the Beetle being their entry level model VW could own the small car segment by proving a distinctively styled car, having good fuel economy, and an affordable price. This would make VW a real player once again. After all that is the formula they used to make the original Beetle such a strong seller.

This is exactly the problem with doing all these retro cars. And it’s exactly the problem the Ford Mustang, new Camaro, and the Dodge Challenger (if it’s built) will have. Retros should be limited editions only.

As far as the TT, the same person designed the beetle. If you flatten out the beetle, it’s the same basic design. I don’t really think this a great concept, not as stylish as the TT, not as unique as the beetle.

The US car market is where the money is at people, biggest market in the world. Everyone wants to jump our shores and sell any tin can on 4 wheels if they can get their engine past the EPA. This is where you can make BIG money. If VW can’t sell their junk here then they can exit like all the other European car companies who left their cars to rust and rot in our junkyards.

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What they need to do it take things back to basics. Start with the original Beetle and make it a modern car keeping the engine in the back.

Hey, Porche owns VW now and THEY know how to make rear engine cars.

Then they need to maybe stretch it a little and flatten it a little but not too much. Just enough to make a more usable interior without messing up the car recognition.

It should keep the quasi hippy feel to the car and it should be of high quality and reasonable price. There is no reason why in 2008 that cars should not be built with quality and be more reliable than the current version of Beetles are.