VW plans Beetle dune buggy concept car

Volkswagen can't seem to stop. Now it offers a sketch of a dune buggy version of the Beetle that VW plans to exhibit at the Detroit auto show next week. That's the third Detroit-show car it has announced this week.

Only a sketch of the dune model so far, no pictures.

The other two Detroit exhibits VW has announced are the high-power Golf R, a real production model but not on sale here until 2015, and the Passat BlueMotion concept, a regular Passat but fitted with a small-displacement gasoline engine for diesel-like fuel economy.

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If a Beetle dune runner makes no sense to you, you're insufficiently life-experienced to remember the wild creations -- usually open cars -- in the 1960s and later that plopped fiberglass tub-like bodies atop running gear salvaged from well-used examples of the rear-engine, air-cooled Beetles of the day.

Most famous example is California builder Bruce Meyers' Meyers Manx, initially intended for off-road racing, where it was an almost instant success. It was built from 1964 - 1971. The buggies quickly became regular street vehicles for the adventuresome.

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VW's version is a closed-top coupe based on an R-Line version of the regular Beetle now in production.

Here's what the automaker says:

"The Dune concept shows the potential for a new production version of the sportiest Beetle ever. The body was raised by two inches and the designers bolted a pair of skis to the roof to show the vehicle's go-anywhere intentions.

"Its name, raised ground clearance, and all-terrain look hark back to the VW Bugs that conquered beaches and dunes in times past. In the summer, simply swap the skis for a sandboard."

VW showed a New Beetle Dune concept car in Los Angeles in 2000,! but, VW acknowledges, that car "was not very realistic, especially with its interior and roof structure." But the 2014 Dune Concept "is a lot more feasible," according to VW.

We take that to mean it'll go into production in the foreseeable future unless it gets boos at Detroit.

Whereas the original dune buggies had serious traction but -- unless the VW engine were highly modified -- not much power. The new one seemingly would have both power and grip.

It's based on the R-Line Beetle running gear, so has a 210-horsepower turbocharged TSI engine and six-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic transmission.

It also uses the R-Line's XDS electronic differential lock setup for the front-wheel drive, preventing the wheel with the least traction from simply spinning uselessly while the one with grip gets no power.