These are the latest spy photos of the new 2011 Volkswagen Beetle, which will be unveiled this spring. Expect to see the new VW Bug around April/May time, away from the usual motor show schedule.
CAR's new spy pictures of the Beetle reveal the car in its most production guise yet. But you should discount the enlarged bumpers and exaggerated rounded wheelarches - designed to mimic the look of the outgoing Beetle first launched in 1999 (the cabrio arrived in 2003).
The flatter roofline, glasshouse and bonnet visible all belong to the new 2011 Beetle. Our sources suggest the 'three semi-circles' Beetle look has been dumped as part of the modernisation of the Beetle.
So the new 2011 Beetle will be more modern, less kitsch?
Yep. Top management has already pointed out there will be no flower holder in this Beetle. It's a sign that the 2011 Bug will be less wantonly retro, a touch more modern. We'll see the coupe first in spring 2011, followed by the cabriolet later in 2011.
The style is clearly derived from the 2005 Ragster concept, a squatter, butcher vision of the Beetle. Expect the new Beetle, dubbed VW324/325 in Wolfsburgspeak, to be around 90mm longer than before and with a wider track.
That stretch allows for a bigger boot - up around 40 litres - and some 30mm more headroom. Under the fresh looks lie the innards of a Mk5/Mk6 Golf, with a mix of TSI and TDI engines for Europe, stretching from a 1.2 TSI to a GTI-sourced 2.0-litre turbo mustering 200bhp. Twin-clutch transmissions will be offered this time.
