Despite the rumors of the rebirth of the Volkswagen Beetle appearing almost as often as the tides, nothing indicates the German brand plans to make a modern version of its iconic model, after having finished production of the latest generation in 2019.
Perhaps taking advantage of this absence and trying to capitalize on the immense legion of fans of the model, the Chinese brand ORA (which integrates the portfolio of the giant Great Wall Motors) decided to create a kind of “modern Beetle”.
Scheduled for its debut at the next Shanghai Motor Show, this 100% electric model doesn't hide the inspiration from the original Beetle, despite having four doors instead of the two that its “muse” used.
Retro inspiration everywhere
Starting with the exterior, inspiration is not only reflected in the rounded shapes of the bodywork. The headlights are circular like the Beetle and even the bumpers seem inspired by the German model. The only exception is the rear, where ORA seems to have made more concessions to modernity.
Inside, the retro inspiration has remained and is evident in the steering wheel that looks like it's taken from a mid-century model. The turbine-style ventilation outlets (à la Mercedes-Benz) and the infotainment system's screen mean that this is a modern car.
According to the Chinese publication Autohome, ORA refers to its new model (the name of which has yet to be revealed) as “a time machine that will give owners a feeling of nostalgia”.
Creator of models like the R1 (a “mix” of Smart fortwo and Honda e) or the Haomao (which seems to join the typical Porsche front to the body of a MINI), ORA has yet to reveal any technical data on “its Beetle” .