Volkswagen has traveled to the Detroit Motor Show to unveil a new concept called Beetle Dune.

The Beetle Dune is wider, taller and longer than the regular-production Beetle R-Line on which it is based. Billed as a Baja Bug for the 21st century, the show car wears a rugged, Audi allroad-like appearance thanks to plastic cladding on the wheel arches, brushed aluminum trim on both ends as well as on the rocker panels and 19-inch alloy wheels wrapped by all-terrain tires. The suspension has been raised by about two inches in order to increase the car’s off-road capacity.

A pair of skis can be mounted on the outside of the trunk lid thanks to a clever mechanism that includes a swiveling rear spoiler and a 0.8-inch-wide belt.

The Beetle Dune cabin stands out thanks to a bespoke instrument cluster, sport seats for the front passengers and a state-of-the-art infotainment system controlled by a 7.7-inch touch screen mounted on the center stack. The cabin is equipped with several grab handles including a large one prominently mounted in lieu of the glovebox that harks back to the original air-cooled Beetle.

Fully functional, the concept is powered by a GTI-sourced 210-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder gas-burning engine that spins the front wheels via a six-speed DSG dual-clutch transmission. The mill enables the Beetle to sprint from zero to 62 mph 7.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 2250 kmph while returning 37 kmpg in the city and 47 kmpg on the highway.

Volkswagen says it is currently evaluating whether or not to move the Beetle Dune past the concept stage. If given the green light for production, the car could arrive on dealer lots in time for the 2015 model year.

Looking Back

The idea of a rugged, all-terrain Beetle isn’t new: Volkswagen traveled to the 2000 Los Angeles Motor Show to display a very similar concept also dubbed Beetle Dune. The car was well received by the public and the press alike but it was complicated and expensive to build so it remained a show car.

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