The Volkswagen Beetle family just wouldn’t be complete without a drop-top version. Unsurprisingly, the folks over at Motor Trend snapped plenty of spy photos of a Volkswagen Beetle Convertible prototype mule for you to drool over.
Volkswagen did an admirable job with the camouflage on this test car, as it tacked on last-gen Beetle bumpers, headlights, and taillights. Nice try, Wolfsburg. A closer inspection reveals some Beetle parts that are indeed from the new 2012 Volkswagen Beetle and not from its predecessor, including the flatter hood and more upright windshield. The high beltline and flat soft-top roof look similar to the E-Bugster concept we first saw at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show.
Presently, there’s no word if the Beetle convertible will be sold with the full range of power trains currently offered on the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle coupe, but the 2.5-liter, inline-five rated at 170 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque should serve as the base engine. We can’t see why VW wouldn’t offer the 200-hp, 2.0-liter turbo four, although the upcoming 2.0-liter, four cylinder turbo-diesel remains a question mark.
The Beetle convertible will likely go on sale sometime next year and there’s a chance it won’t be the last member to join the Beetle family. There’s still that E-Bugster concept and the go-fast Beetle R concept we first saw at last year’s Frankfurt show.
Head over to Motor Trend for the complete set of photos.
Source: Motor Trend
