Volkswagen Readies New Beetle for U.S. Market

An updated version of the famed Volkswagen Beetle designed by the German car maker’s Simi Valley design studio will be on the market by the end of the decade, Volkswagen A.G. recently announced.

The price of the car and the number that will be produced were not disclosed, but the company said that the United States will be one of the primary markets for the new car.

“We’re over the moon,” said Charles Ellwood, head of the Simi Valley studio, using an expression imported from his native England. “It’s the first time that something to come out of this studio will hit the road.”

The new Beetle design, dubbed Concept One, was unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit last January. The prototype design that the Simi Valley team came up with maintains the bulbous profile of its forebearer, but unlike the original the new version will have a water-cooled engine in the front of the car, and will feature anti-lock brakes and air bags.

U.S. Beetle sales peaked at 367,607 in 1969, and the model was discontinued in this country in 1977. Last year, Volkswagen’s sales in the United States dipped below 50,000 units.