Road test: 2012 Volkswagen Beetle
 

http://www.montrealgazette.com/cars/5683826.bin

You have to think there were a few trembling hands on the mouses of VW designers tasked with creating the second-generation 'New' Beetle.

After all, the first one, dubbed the Concept 1 and unveiled in 1998, spawned the retro-futurist design craze that saw most every automaker dust off an old classic and give it a 21st Century makeover (the Mini and the Fiat 500, to name but two). The New Beetle also put VW back on the map with the allimportant North American consumer, particularly baby boomers who flocked to showrooms to buy the new version of a model that shaped many of their young lives.

So, the idea of not messing up a good thing was no doubt on the minds - and mouses - of engineers and designers when updating the popular cultural icon.

The result?

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