2012 Volkswagen Beetle guest stars on ‘Oprah'

Volkswagen used the “Oprah Winfrey Show” to tease the 2012 Beetle, which arrives in showrooms next fall.

A silhouette of the diminutive new car was shown on Monday on the TV show, and it's expected to have sleeker styling with a stretched-out roofline. That cue was also seen on the 2005 Ragster concept.

Winfrey, a noted Beetle fan, gave away a new car to each of the 275 audience members.

Look for gasoline, hybrid and diesel models, as well as a convertible variant. It's a front-wheel-drive car and is expected to have better handling than the current model.

VW confirms that the Beetle will have dual exhaust, sport seats, 19-inch wheels and ambient lighting.

By Greg Migliore