Next VW Beetle to Get Bigger Back Seat and Become VW's Halo Car

The current VW Beetle was all the rage when it debuted in 1998. VW also managed to sell 83,434 New Beetles in 1999, but since then sales have continued to decline to only 26,477 units last year. Over 10 years since it was released, the Beetle now barely registers on the radar and has been overshadowed by other retro vehicles like the Mini. Well VW is finally working on a successor that will arrive in 2012 and according to Stefan Jacoby, president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, the next model will have better packaging and a larger back seat.

According to Jacoby the major complaint about the Beetle, besides its age is that it has a cramped back seat. The new Beetle will indeed have a bigger back seat, but Jacoby was quick to state that that doesn't necessarily mean that it will be bigger.

Jacoby also stated that he sees the next Beetle as more of a halo car for the brand.

Full Story: AutoWeek