Volkswagen released a concept update of the VW “Dune Buggy” at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show in January. Great news! Word on the street is that it is NOT staying a concept. Volkswagen is bringing the VW Beetle Dune to production for 2016! There had been rumors floating around this week that the VW Dune concept would be coming to production, but a date hadn’t been set yet. Yesterday news broke of the 2016 release.

A reminder of some of the specs from the auto show(which have not been released for the acutal model): The VW Dune Beetle concept sports a set of 19-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 255/40 tires made possible by a raised suspension (with two inches more ground clearance than the R-Line), 1.1-inch wider front and rear tracks (now 63.3 inches and 61.9 inches, respectively), and 1.1-inch wider fender flares. A chrome-plated underbody skidplate protects the undercarriage. Overall height has grown 0.8 inches, width is up 2.2 inches to 73.4 inches, and length has been increased by 0.8 inches to 168.9 inches total. The rear hatch and spoiler feature integrated ski mounts, and based on the Beetle R-Line, the Beetle Dune concept is powered by the same 210-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter I-4 engine mated to a six-speed dual-clutch transmission. Power is routed to the front wheels with torque application distributed by the R-Line’s electronic differential. Volkswagen estimates fuel economy as 23/29 mpg city/highway. It will also include the technology features that VW owners have become acustomed to, and instead of a glove box there will be an “oh my heck” grab bar in front of the passenger.

Although there is no more information yet, such as what market it will be released in or actual specs and pricing, it is a slight throwback to the Dune Buggy and Volkswagen fans seem to be pretty excited. (although there are many skeptical views on the internet already). Because it was announced at the Detriot Auto Show, we are definitely hoping that the U.S. will be on top of the list. Oh, we almost forgot, the VW Dune Beetle will be one of the only off-road capable coupe’s on the market!