The new Volkswagen Beetle, a 21st century edition of the world's best-selling car, will roll off assembly lines by 1998 in the motor industry's version of a Hollywood sequel.
VW officials, who have avoided naming a specific launch date for the car, said at the international car show here the new Bug will likely come to market in two years and could come out in 1997.The car, which in a VW first will initially be sold in the United States, clearly follows in the footsteps of its half-century-old grandfather but will be loaded with the latest technological wizardry.
The latest study version of the car, now on display at the auto show here, was equipped with a 110-horsepower motor, a glass top and four-wheel-drive.
Unlike the original, the new Beetle will have its motor in front. VW has also moved away from its air-cooled power plant.