Future Beetle to 'grow' retro
Talks with VW’s design chief hint at a larger, more grown-up Beetle for 2010. Contrary to previous reports, the new car will continue to draw on the retro-inspired styling of the original car but will offer greater scope for performance-orientated models.
By Gareth Dean
For those in the know at Volkswagen, it must be quite entertaining to see how the automotive press continuously changes tack when it comes to speculation regarding the next-generation Beetle.
According to a recent report in Winding Road, the next-generation Beetle will not adopt the stern-faced, futuristic shape that was previously ascertained from sketches that allegedly leaked from the company’s design offices earlier this year.
Having spoken to VW Group design boss, Walter de Silva, the chaps at Winding Road have come up with a vision of a new Beetle that does not deviate greatly from the current model. The current Beetle sits on Volkswagen’s PQ34 platform, which formed the underpinnings of the previous generation Golf and Audi TT. This compact platform, allied with the Beetles strong clamshell roof profile, gave the car a very pokey interior. The new car will utilise the Golf V’s PQ35 floorpan which, apart from increasing the interior space on offer, will have a strong bearing on the design of the new car.
The new car will see the cabin migrate further back on the floorpan and the roof will become flatter, in a similar manner to that of the Ragster (bottom picture) concept that broke cover at the North American International Motor Show in 2005.
Although the new wheelbase is only 65 mm longer than before, the car’s overall stance will present a more longer, wider and more purposeful look. This growth will also equate to greater interior space for passengers and their luggage. The new platform will also usher in the company’s latest compact multi-link suspension set up and make the inclusion of the transverse 2,0-litre FSI powerplant a more likely proposition.
The exterior detailing and lighting design will draw greater inspiration from the original Beetle than the current model and will also feature more prominent front air intakes that fit in with the new model’s more grown up and businesslike demeanour.
These performance-hinting touches also lend weight to claims of GTI and R32 variants becoming a greater possibility in the new model line up. The cabriolet model will feature again, this time in the guise of a more compact folding roof set up that will hide under a flush tonneau cover.
Speculation surrounding this return to retro-inspired styling may not meet with immediate acceptance from skeptics out there, but there is some method to such a decision. Firstly, it would be foolhardy for the company to simply disassociate the new model from the iconic original. The retro-inspired car market is abuzz with the likes of the Fiat 500, Mini and the possible return of the Citroën 2CV, and Volkswagen would certainly be missing a trick by moving away from the recognisable formula of the Beetle.
It must also be noted that Volkswagen has already made its futuristic nod to the Beetle with the unveiling of the company’s Up! Concept at this year’s Frankfurt Show, so maybe the new Beetle will do well to borrow heavily from the old car.
By Gareth Dean
For those in the know at Volkswagen, it must be quite entertaining to see how the automotive press continuously changes tack when it comes to speculation regarding the next-generation Beetle.
According to a recent report in Winding Road, the next-generation Beetle will not adopt the stern-faced, futuristic shape that was previously ascertained from sketches that allegedly leaked from the company’s design offices earlier this year.
Having spoken to VW Group design boss, Walter de Silva, the chaps at Winding Road have come up with a vision of a new Beetle that does not deviate greatly from the current model. The current Beetle sits on Volkswagen’s PQ34 platform, which formed the underpinnings of the previous generation Golf and Audi TT. This compact platform, allied with the Beetles strong clamshell roof profile, gave the car a very pokey interior. The new car will utilise the Golf V’s PQ35 floorpan which, apart from increasing the interior space on offer, will have a strong bearing on the design of the new car.
The new car will see the cabin migrate further back on the floorpan and the roof will become flatter, in a similar manner to that of the Ragster (bottom picture) concept that broke cover at the North American International Motor Show in 2005.
Although the new wheelbase is only 65 mm longer than before, the car’s overall stance will present a more longer, wider and more purposeful look. This growth will also equate to greater interior space for passengers and their luggage. The new platform will also usher in the company’s latest compact multi-link suspension set up and make the inclusion of the transverse 2,0-litre FSI powerplant a more likely proposition.
The exterior detailing and lighting design will draw greater inspiration from the original Beetle than the current model and will also feature more prominent front air intakes that fit in with the new model’s more grown up and businesslike demeanour.
These performance-hinting touches also lend weight to claims of GTI and R32 variants becoming a greater possibility in the new model line up. The cabriolet model will feature again, this time in the guise of a more compact folding roof set up that will hide under a flush tonneau cover.
Speculation surrounding this return to retro-inspired styling may not meet with immediate acceptance from skeptics out there, but there is some method to such a decision. Firstly, it would be foolhardy for the company to simply disassociate the new model from the iconic original. The retro-inspired car market is abuzz with the likes of the Fiat 500, Mini and the possible return of the Citroën 2CV, and Volkswagen would certainly be missing a trick by moving away from the recognisable formula of the Beetle.
It must also be noted that Volkswagen has already made its futuristic nod to the Beetle with the unveiling of the company’s Up! Concept at this year’s Frankfurt Show, so maybe the new Beetle will do well to borrow heavily from the old car.
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