2010 Volkswagen Beetle: The Bug Gets A New Look

Posted on August 28, 2008

Volkswagen Beetles has and always will be fun cars. The first one rolled off the lot in Sheffield, England in 1953 and after a brief period of time out of production, the car was reintroduced to car buyers on an international scale in 1998. It has been ten years since everyone's favorite 'bubble' car came out of retirement, and Volkswagen has finally decided to give this favorite car an entirely new - yet traditional - look for 2010.

Volkswagen recently underwent some management shake-ups that saw it being partially taken over by Porsche. While some things fell through the corporate takeover cracks, others remained firmly in place, such as the replacement design for the Beetle that was reintroduced to car consumers in 1998. It is well on track for its 2010 release right alongside the next-generation Rabbit and Scirocco.

The platform of all three cars is said to be the same, and the car itself will be styled in California and engineered in Germany as previous versions have been. Volkswagen has been challenged by other cars in its class to become more modern and to move away from the 'chick car' image the New Beetle has been labeled with. How much further away the designers have moved have classic Beetle aficionados up in arms and yelling for a name change in order to preserve the classic and new Beetle legacy.

The 2010 Beetle will be bigger with more interior space than all the previous models combined. The rounded shape of the car with its bug-eye look and bulbous roofline has actually been changed to reflect a more aggressive and traditional car styling, making it sportier. The round roofline has been flattened somewhat, giving it more of a coupe appearance and less a Beetle look. The change in the roofline is what really has Beetle fans up in arms.

The design is being developed in such a way that later variants of the 2010 Beetle can be released. Considering the similarity of the newly developed Beetle and the Scirocco, it is easy to understand why Volkswagen hasn't introduced the Scirocco in the United States. The new 2010 Beetle two-door coupe is scheduled to be introduced first followed by a hatchback and then soft-top cabrio design. Both are to be followed with a sport wagon that features small rear doors. Volkswagen is even talking about a micro-van, pickup, and sport wagon crossover all with the Beetle name on it.

So far the company has not released any other information about options, engines, or even price on this new version of the old classic. Of course, Volkswagen needs to be careful with their new design and the move away from the classic round Beetle appearance. If they are not careful, the 2010 Volkswagen Beetle may wind up being squashed.