Volkswagen Beetle Dune IS going in to production – expect it in 2016

The VW Beetle Dune – revealed at the Detroit Auto Show in January as a Concept – is going in to production and will arrive in VW showrooms in 2016.

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Volkswagen went back to its Beetle history with the VW Beetle Dune Concept at Detroit in January, a car that looked close to production-ready even if VW were adamant it was just a concept.

There was no more new on the Beetle Dune until late last month when, for no apparent reason, a raft of new photos of the Beetle Dune were released by Volkswagen with the only rationale being they had made the decision to make the Dune a production car. And they have.

By 2016 you’ll be able to go of and grab yourself a 21st century Dune ‘Buggy’ – with either a tin top or a folding roof convertible – complete with Beetle turbo underpinnings, extra ground clearance, 19″ alloys, a titivated front and rear end and a bit of extra butch cladding.

Sadly – despite it looking like a sensible route to go – it’s unlikely you’ll get the option of the Golf’s 4WD platform, so you’ll have to make do with the Dune’s 207 bhp from its petrol turbo being driven to the front wheels through a DSG gearbox with an electronic XDS differential lock as standard.

How much of all that will make the production car – and whether VW will make other engine options available – remains to be seen, but the Beetle Dune will arrive in 2016 and command a premium of around £2k on the regular Beetle.