It’s been rumored that VW is set to prove that it’s serious about making the Beetle far sportier than the we’ve ever experienced with a high-performance R variant. VW gave us a preview of what the Beetle R could be like with the debut of the Beetle R Concept in Frankfurt.
In the past even though VW has offered a turbocharged engine in the Beetle, it still wasn’t anything that would be described as overtly sporty. The 2012 Beetle is attempting to change that with the Beetle Turbo that is powered by the same 200-HP 2.0L turbocharged engine as the much loved GTI. VW is taking the Beetle even further with the R concept. VW already has R variants of the Scirocco and Golf. The Beetle R represents a possible third R version, although VW is still labeling it as a design study.
The Beetle R concept is painted in Serious Grey and rides on 20-inch Talladega wheels, which are the same design that the Golf R and Scirocco R use, although they are smaller on those two models. Immediately you can tell that this is not a normal Beetle by the concept’s reworked front and rear bumpers, which have been widened by 1.2 inches.
The interior of the Beetle R concept gets motorsport bucket seats for the driver and front passenger. The seats are embossed with the R logo and are covered in black Nappa leather.
VW hasn’t announced the exact power specs for the Beetle R Concept, but when it is likely put into production it will have power that mimics that of the Golf R and Scirocco R, which is around 260 horsepower.
