Loved bug born again

Volkswagen's 2005 Ragster concept car is likely to provide design cues for the new Beetle. Photo / Supplied.

The second generation of VW's long-lived new Beetle will launch next year.

A preview car will go on show in Los Angeles in November, though pictures are not yet available.

VW is expected to focus more carefully on dynamics and less on the retro styling that made the current car so popular, with the 2005 Ragster concept likely to provide design cues, particularly in relation to the less rounded roofline.

The new car will be assembled in Mexico alongside the Jetta, with which it will share front-drive underpinnings.

That means it'll have a wider track and longer wheelbase - which should impart more cabin space, and help address the rear-headroom and limited boot space issues of the outgoing Beetle.

Suspension is expected to be Mac strut up front with torsion beam rear, while the engine line-up will include petrol, diesel and hybrid options.

The car's arrival will be good news for VW New Zealand, which has sold more than 2000 new Beetles since the model first arrived here in 1999. But its initial steady popularity has faded as used imports compete with otherwise identical new cars, and last year just 14 sold.

One million new Beetles have been produced since launch - and 21.5million original cars during 58years of production.