VW Beetle Dune at the Detroit auto show

Of all the production-leaning concept vehicles at the Detroit auto show, the Volkswagen Beetle Dune's the sort of flight of fancy nobody was looking for. Nissan's Sport Sedan heralds the look of the next Maxima, which will likely trickle down in some way to future Altimas, Sentras and Versas. It looks as if Nissan will put one of its techno-retro RWD IDx concepts into production. The Toyota FT-1 might not be the next Supra. Or it might be. Anyway, it was cause for commotion, reviving the possibility of a range-topping Toyota GT. Even Volkswagen's own Passat BlueMotion ekes feasible efficiencies from a gasoline powertrain. The Dune, though? It's just frivolity.

Growing up, your author was well-nigh surrounded by aircooled Beetles. His high school had an annual tradition of each class pushing a student-owned Bug in a race around the school track during the Homecoming festivities. His senior year (1993, if you're keeping track), for the first time since the tradition began, there weren't enough K

By Davey G. Johnson