Next Gen New Beetle Rumors

[Concept1]

Who knows what it will look like in the end. The new VW boss wasn't happy with the Scirocco design so that was sent back to the design team for a last minute facelift that has yet to be revealed. Hopefully these sketches (if at all accurate to begin with) were prior to the VW management shakeup.

[Netty310]

Oh goodness, that looks awful! I better hurry up and purchase my NB before those new things come out

[SMG]

Well, luckily there will always be 8 years worth of the original NB for us addicts to continue to adopt and modify.

SMG

[dnyed]

[niki]

The early scetches of the Concept 1 look similar to the NB we all know and love but they did change quite a bit. Like Pete said, I wouldn't be surprised if this never came to pass, but if it did, I guess I'd be the only one rolling in one!

this photo was on the site linked in the first post. I don't like this version... I can't read german so I have no idea who did this...

[yeller beetle bug gal]

hope it does not look like that - doesn't look anything like a beetle.

[Papa Bug]

Originally Posted by LadybugEwa

NOT a Beetle!
From the side view, it could be a new Mazda.
From the back view, it could be an Audi.
It's just not distinct enough to be any kind of Beetle.
And those angular tail lights? Sacrilege!

I agree with your acessment. I does look an awful lot like a mazda.I like the look,but it is not a beetle. These guys do "know" more about this than us, we're just consumers.
I'd like to see a new ghia as well.If done right.

[bluebeetlebabe]

i like it but it looks more like a cross between a focus and a eclipse. not a bug

[dunno513]

If the New Beetle looses its round lights then it's doomed. If they can somehow engineer to keep the lighting structure round on both the front and back, then i think they can get away with a dramatic redesign and still have followers.

I doubt this concept has any head room tho... oh well. Maybe they will do what Ford did with the F-150 and leave the original beetle in the lineup as well.. Ford called it their "Heritage Series"

[Pushing Fifty]

I thought I'd try to call a rep at 1-800-Drive VW to see if someone there could enlighten us on this supposed "radical re-design" and, unfortunately, they "have no information at this time." They said 2009 or 2010 was simply too far away to know what would happen........... On another note, not New-Beetle related, but certainly Volkswagen-related, is that the design team is working overtime on a restyled Jetta and Passat, since the MK V's and B6's are not meeting sales expectations. But who knows if this is actually true?

[SMG]

Wouldn't surprise me, the MKV's are fugly.

[digitalputty]

Originally Posted by SMG

Wouldn't surprise me, the MKV's are fugly.

I agree. The Jetta and Passats are Toyota's and Nissans. However, the Rabbit and GTi are both growing on me. :P

[Pushing Fifty]

The price reductions have helped the Jetta V hold its own in sales (although they aren't selling like the MK IV's, they're no longer dropping, either). It seems now that the Passat is more critiscized for its styling than the Jetta. They have really dropped off, and that's not good when you consider that it is only in its second year. Hopefully, it will go back to the styling of the last generation. I was scared at the end of Jan 2007, when NB sales were down 25% from Jan 2006, but now for Feb, the deficit has been reduced to 7% (Y-T-D, 2007 vs. 2006). 10 months is plenty of time for the NB to catch up and even surpass 2006 numbers. And if the NB continues to sell in the 35K unit range per year, this should alleviate fears of it being redesigned in a non-Beetle style by 2010 (I hope).

[Pushing Fifty]

So, what's up with this supposed "radical New Beetle?" It seems as though this thread dissolved quickly. Does anybody have any more updated info regarding this rumor? VWoA couldn't help me, although the Rep I talked to seemed like the type who really didn't know what was going on. If there is any truth to it, we as a community of New Beetle fans should be very concerned. We need to object and loudly so, before something that looks like a GEO Metro is labeled a "Beetle." It's one thing to say, "I'll buy one now before the change," but what about 5-10-12 years from now, when you want a new one? I personally want the New Beetle line to last as long as the original Beetle; even longer! But it has to look like a Beetle. Does the fact that this discussion has idled mean that the initial rumors have been dismissed? If so, that would make my day. I was thrilled to find out a few weeks ago that VW would sell Beetles indefinitely as long as sales warrant production. Then those "sketches" from the California Design Team came out..............

[Concept1]

Those "sketches" are more likely from someone who spoke with a member of the design team, not from someone who has actually seen the real deal in person. It's still a couple years off so I wouldn't expect to see a concept until next year. I think the litmus test will be the Scirocco. I think its design is a bit over the top. It has been sent back to the drawing board for a rededign by the way. Will it be toned down or look even more radical? If it gets toned down we're probably safe with the next Beetle.

[maximum_velocity]

is this it
nice but not a beetle

[taschilb]

just saw this in the latest (June '07) Automobile magazine - a new rear engine VW to compete with the smart fortwo and the mini cooper...apparently, according to their sources inside VW, the next New Beetle will be borrow a lot from the "Ragster" concept...

[jazzcat]

if anything they should make it more retro and not push for the car to be an edgy or flashy car....they made the air cooled exactly the same(ok there were differences but not in this arguement) for dang near 60 years and now they are changing up the design of something that works just right? if anything make it rear engine rwd and go with more retro styling and offer ALOT of engine choices and it will sell...it is flashy and attention grabbing enough as it is without making drastic changes to the car


the 'concept' or whatever you want to call it, is hideous and made me gag a little when i saw it.. i really hope it doesn't get any further than those nasty sketches

[Audiophil]

VW/Audi is in a tough position... they consider a "sucessful" car, one that will sell in the Passat/Jetta numbers. I guess they figure if it is more average in looks it will sell to more people looking for average cars (look how many cars Toyota sells vs. VW).

However since it is not a sedan, the best they can hope for is Golf/GTI sales numbers. BUT it already outsells the Golf/GTI, so it would only kill profits by making it less Bug like... hopefully their marketing employees understand the US market.

Best advice... leave it alone and make one with a 2.0T/6 speed for me.

[Bugmonkey]

If they need to put "Beetle" on it somewhere so people will know what it is, it ain't a Beetle no mo'

The truest statement ever spoken.