(April 19, 2011) The new 2012 Volkswagen Beetle was revealed on Monday and now we can offer some more detailed pictures of the new car that will go on sale in the U.S. this fall.

Volkswagen says that only someone who knows and respects the Beetle’s heritage could produce a new generation of this storied vehicle. The task for Volkswagen engineers was clear.

They had to develop a modern interpretation of the Beetle, with all the benefits of today’s technologies and efficiencies, and the driving characteristics that define the Volkswagen brand.

The result had to remain affordable and stay true to the Beetle’s spirit and great heritage.



The design of the new Beetle presented another challenge. How does one reinvent a look that is so recognizable and unique? Volkswagen Group Design Chief Walter de Silva and Volkswagen Brand Design Chief, Klaus Bischoff, welcomed the task and set an ambitious objective: “Design a new original!”

The designers wanted to develop the new car around the earliest Beetle profile rather than the 1998 New Beetle. They wanted a car that respects the past but looks toward the future. And that is what they created.

By looking at the pictures it seems that VW has found the right balance between new and retro.