We've seen quite a few Beetle concepts - with and without roofs - since the Ragster at Detroit in 2005, but this one, on display at Auto China in Beijing, is different.
It's a pure electric battery car.
It's called the E-Bugster: E for electric, Bug for the Beetle's US nickname and 'ster for speedster, although roadster would perhaps be more appropriate since it is a convertible
It's strictly a two-seater, with a central electric module - including an 85kW electric motor - that weighs only 80kg. Volkswagen carefully doesn't quote the weight of the batteries, mounted low down behind the front seats but, to be fair, when last did you ask the weight of a full fuel tank on a combustion-engined car?
ONBOARD QUICK-CHARGING FUNCTION
Nevertheless, VW says the battery pack is good for 28.3kWh, taking the E-Bugster from 0-100 in 10.8 seconds and giving a range of as much as 180km “in the urban world” - which usually means at a steady 60km/h on the flat.
The car also has an onboard quick-charging function, so the battery can be 'refuelled' within 35 minutes at suitable charging stations, although it will take several hours at home using 220V domestic current.
The ultra-fast DC charging function is predicated on a new, uniform industry standard for the connectors of future electric vehicles that will be available to all manufacturers.
That hasn't happened yet, although almost every maker of electric vehicles has admitted that it's the ultimate dealbreaker for the energy suppliers, since I'll reduce costs across the industry and make possible a global rollout of charging stations.
R ANGE ANXIETY STILL A MAJOR FACTOR
Apart from the speedometer, all the instrumentation has to do with charge levels - which just goes to show that range anxiety is still a major factor in electric mobility. In place of a rev counter there's a power meter, which shows how much power the driver is asking for with the 'electric pedal' at any given moment.
Then there's a range meter, which shows how far you can go at this power level, a display showing the battery's charge level, and another showing how much energy is being recovered under braking.
VW calls the whole system Blue-e-motion - presumably without realising the obvious double meaning!
The E-Bugster's styling is an extension of the current production Beetle; it's 30mm wider and 90mm lower, with LED headlights, and is probably very close to the conventionally-powered Beetle convertible we're expecting to see in production form later this year at either the Paris Salon or the Los Angeles auto show, and on sale early next year.
Special front bumpers are home to C-shaped strips of LED daytime running lights on either side of the centre air intake, a feature of VW battery-car concepts since it was first seen on the e-Up in Europe.
These styling elements are reflected in the rear bumper, while the car runs on special 20” versions of the standard Beetle's 18” Twister rims, shod with 235/35 rubber.
START-UP LIGHT SHOW
The chrome strip of the lower window border now runs all the way round the barchetta waistline from A-pillar to A-pillar, with the folding hard top in a low arc over that (when it's up!) and the upper border of the side windows running parallel to the roofline as on the Audi TT.
Inside, there are sports seats and a body-colour, continuous centre tunnel, with aluminium door handles and seat-belt guides, and a lightweight steering wheel.
And lastly, the Start button not only activates the drive system; it also lights up the cabin with first white and then blue light, starting as a light pulse in the instrument cluster, followed by a thin line of light, just one millimetre wide, running along the door window sills and around the air vents, just to let you know the car is 'up and running', because there is, of course, no engine noise.