These are the first spy pictures of the all-new Volkswagen Beetle in testing.
Disguised to look like the current model, the test car’s identity as the new Beetle is given away by its narrower, less rounded glasshouse and new doors which contribute to a lower, sportier stance.
See the first spy pics of the next VW Beetle
VW company sources have previously told Autocar the new Beetle will be a "radical design" and not just a Mini-style round of minor upgrades.
It will share it platform with the new VW Jetta and will be built alongside that car at VW’s Puebla plant in Mexico after its show debut at the Detroit motor show next January.
Engines will include a 105bhp 1.2, a 160bhp 1.4 and a 210bhp 2.0. The US-bound 170bhp 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine is not destined for Europe. Diesels will include the new 105bhp 1.6 and a 140bhp 2.0 TDI.
Read more on the next VW Beetle, plus see Autocar's exclusive rendering
A hybrid is also planned, with a similar drivetrain to that of the Jetta CC from this year’s Detroit show: a 150bhp turbocharged/supercharged 1.4 with a 27bhp electric motor.
The new Beetle is expected to go on sale in the UK in May 2011. A cabriolet will follow about a year later.
