I'm not talking styling, and I'm not talking about rear-engine construction, either. I mean, what if you had to build a car in 2014 that held to the same tenets that defined the original Volkswagen?
I'm talking about a car that can cruise all day at a fairly quick highway speed (the original design plans called for 60mph back in the 1930s, which was rather hot), has room for a full family (that has certainly ballooned over the decades), and is simple, reliable, as well as easy to use.
If it were me, I'd think I'd end up with something like a stripped-out new Honda Fit, with an understressed naturally aspirated engine. There'd only need be enough power to wheel the thing along at a hundred without wheezing too bad. The question of if that car has enough character to match the original Bug is a bit open-ended, though. There was a charming utilitarianism and ugliness to the old Volkswagen that could use a comeback.
If you had to design the VW Beetle today, what would yours be like?
Photo Credit: Raphael Orlove/Jalopnik