Motoring: 21st Century VW Beetle unveiled

70 years old and arguablly the most familiar car in motoring history, the beloved VW Beetle has been re-imagined and redesigned for the 21st Century. Longer, lower and wider, the look is a slight departure of the rounded design elements that have been the Beetle's look and personality. This is the 2012 VW Beetle unveiled hours ago.

 Photo from Volkswagen via EVO

"The Beetle is now characterized by a clean, self-confident sportiness. The car not only has a lower profile; it is also substantially wider, the front hood is longer, the front windshield is shifted further back and has a much steeper incline. All of this creates a new dynamism," explains Klaus Bischoff, VW's head of design.