Volkswagen Beetle R
Hot Volkswagen Beetle R debuts in the US, as it moves a step closer to production
Volkswagen Beetle R front
By Dean Gibson
November 2011
One of the stars of Volkswagen's stand at the Los Angeles Motor Show was the VW Beetle R.
It's officially a concept, indeed it debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, but the US was the number one market for sales of the previous generation New Beetle, so VW has brought it to LA to gauge public reaction.
Updates to the Beetle shape include wider wings front and rear, triple air intakes in the front bumper and 20-inch five-spoke alloys. Gloss black trim, as seen on R versions of the Golf and Scirocco, is used inside and out, while a pair of race-style leather bucket seats with blue stitching are fitted inside.
Power is likely to come from the same 2.0 TSI turbo petrol engine used in the Scirocco and Golf, although there's no confirmation of how much power the Beetle R will have, or if it will be front or four-wheel drive.
If reaction to the Beetle R is positive, then we can expect to see it arrive later in 2012.