2012 Volkswagen Beetle Destined For Shanghai, Frankfurt And New York

Following reports last month that pointed to a China unveiling, Volkswagen has today confirmed that its all-new 'New' Beetle will debut at this month's Shanghai Auto Show.

That won't be the Beetle's only appearance this month however, with almost simultaneous unveilings confirmed for New York and Frankfurt as part of a 'World Stage' tour hosted by entertainment network MTV.

All three 'debuts' will be broadcast live on the MTV website and through its television stations around the world.

“The Beetle is an icon of the automotive world, just like MTV is an icon of the music world. In the context of this marketing alliance, we are taking the new Volkswagen directly to our customers and fans of the Volkswagen brand – and we are doing it globally," Volkswagen Marketing Director Luca de Meo said.

Volkswagen has yet to offer any specifics for the new model, although spy photos have given away more than a few details of its styling.

The German carmaker has long described the new Beetle's design as a more masculine look, and the spied test cars reveal a flatter, more hunkered-down take on the iconic 'people's car'. 

As with the previous Beetle, which was built on the same platform as the Golf 4, the new model features the same underpinnings as the current Golf 6 (itself a carryover from the Golf 5).

The new model is expected to utilise Volkswagen's 2.5 litre five-cylinder and 2.0 litre four-cylinder petrol engines, along with a 1.4 litre petrol-electric hybrid setup - likely as part of VW's E-Mobility programme.

More details will be revealed later this month.