City Expert to recapture essence of Beetle

Forget the image-over-substance New Beetle -- Volkswagen aims to recapture the true essence of the original 'Bug' with an all-new concept that revives its once-ubiquitous ancestor's rear-engine layout.

Dubbed the City Expert, the innovative design study is set to take its bows at next month's Frankfurt motor show.

Reports suggest the car will cost the equivalent of $8300 in developing markets, while a better-specced Euro variant could retail for just under $12,000 in our money.

The City Expert is being billed as a "sensationally flexible" vehicle as it will be built with a wide range of powerplants and also in a variety of body styles -- Euro buyers will be offered a three-door hatch, while booming Asian markets such as India and China will have access to a five-door hatch and four-door sedan.

VW says a three-cylinder unit will be the largest engine offered in the City Expert, while cheaper versions will feature a two-cylinder motor (rekindling memories of the iconic twin-pot Citroen 2CV).

Most notably, Volkswagen says the heart of the vehicle will "beat where the flat-four 'Boxer' engine once did in the Beetle" -- in other words, in the car's derriere.

Although the engine will be housed in the tail, the battery, air-conditioning unit and radiator will be located in the nose, helping to even out weight distribution and maximise packaging efficiency.

Practicality should be a strong suit as both extremities of the car will have a luggage compartment.

Euro sources suggest power steering isn't expected to be available as the relative lack of weight over the front wheels means it won't be necessary.

The City Expert is said to be the brainchild of former Volkswagen Group CEO and chairman Ferdinand Piech, who still serves as chairman of the supervisory board. Piech is the grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, who designed the original Beetle, so the project is bound to be close to his heart.

Does this spell the end for the fashion-conscious New Beetle? Not necessarily -- word has it the revamped 2010 model will be bigger, more modern and more sporting to make ample room below it for the City Expert.

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