2012 Volkswagen Beetle Spied

The 2012 Volkswagen Beetle looks almost production-ready

Yes, the next generation of the ‘New’ VW Beetle us upon us, certainly if the spy shots we’ve got of an almost undisguised 2012 VW Beetle are anything to go by. And we did report that VW should debut the 2012 VW Beetle in 2011 before a 2012 launch as long ago as October 2009. So it all adds up

Not surprisingly, this 2012 Beetle has been snapped pounding round the US – the one place it’s sold really well. The changes aren’t enormous, but they are there. The nose is changed and the headlights get a reworking. There’s a bevel edge running round the glass area and the hatch goes higher.

No doubt VW will be busy telling us that – just as cousin Porsche does every time we get a new 911 – the new Beetle doesn’t share a single panel with the ‘Old’ New Beetle, even though it looks little different.

But that’s the problem designers face when they’re working on a car whose entire raison d’être is to pay homage to a past icon. Where on earth do you go when it’s time to bring along a re-design?

Expect everything from eco-box, hybrid and even an EV to a Beetle R when the next generation of the Peoples Car launches. VW want to make the next Beetle work on both sides of the Pond, so a Beetle to suit every customer’s needs seems certain, as does a push upmarket with the quality of trim, finish and options and a halo model is a must.

Think of what BMW has done with MINI, and we reckon that’s where VW are heading with the Beetle. What you see in the photo is just the start, from hatch to estate to SUV to MPV to…

Looking at the Beetle in the photo we could even be seeing the 2012 Beetle as soon as Geneva.

By Cars UK