Volkswagen Shows Off Beetle Dune Concept

Volkswagen has introduced the Beetle Dune Concept at the North American International Auto Show.  This concept shows the potential for a Beetle with an off-road look.  Here is what VW has to say about the Beetle Dune Concept:

The Dune concept shows the potential for a new production version of the sportiest Beetle ever. The concept is painted in “Arizona”, a yellow-orange metallic, with two-part wheelarch extensions that are offset in black. Like the Cross Golf, these extensions are rugged looking elements with a matte finish. There’s one subtle difference here, though: integrated on top of the main matte parts are 0.06-inch-thick gloss black “blades” that appear to hover above the massive wheel housings, because they do not make direct contact. The wheel housings widen the body by 1.1 inches per side to give a total width of 73.4 inches, an increase of 2.2 inches over a stock Beetle. Overall, the Dune has grown compared with the R-Line model on which it is based. The overall length has increased by 0.5 inches to 168.9 inches and the car is both 2.0 inches higher off the ground and 0.8 inches taller.

In keeping with its wider body, the car’s front and rear tracks are increased by 1.1 inches at the front and rear to 63.3 and 61.9 inches respectively. As a result of the four-square stance and its reduced wheel travel, the 19-inch wheels and 255/45 tires fill out the wheel housings. Visually, the wheels look similar to the18-inch “Twister” design with their five aluminum spokes, black-painted inserts, and polished aluminum rims. The VW logo at the center of each wheel is embedded in a three-dimensional housing that’s painted in the car’s exterior color.

The wheelarch extensions transition into brushed aluminum sill trim panels, between which there’s a chrome-plated underbody skidplate. The top part of the sills are painted in high-gloss black and above them are side trim strips, again finished in a high-gloss black, that are reminiscent of the original Beetle’s running boards. The distinctive Dune logo, meanwhile, is placed in front of the rear fenders. The bottom of the door mirrors are in black, with the rest of the mirror being vapor-coated in aluminum.

Read more about it here.  

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(photos courtesy:  VW.com)