Think I 'll stick to my old one.

NO.

I would love to have one, but an economy car for the masses; it is not. This car is in competition with other cars in it's class, not a stand alone "poor man's" car like the original Beatle. Nothing else came close to the original in price or economy.

maybe VW should reintroduce "The Thing"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_181

Now a Thing on the other hand, I would love to own!

I thought they were cool looking, I beleive they were built simple also.

And from the link I gave, since it was considered a passenger car and not a truck, it required higher standards.

I wonder what the sales were?

If they would re-introduce the 1974 Super Beetle again for $2200.00 I'd buy another one. I'd even pay cash right now for it! Can you believe the price of cars these days? Just sickening. 1969 Mach 1, $3400.00 brand new, 1970 Shelby 500 $4700.00 Today el cheapo 34MPG runabout $12,000.00 Bring back the Beetle!

ok, but first you have to get the whole country back to excepting 1974 wages

BMC-Morris produced a vehicle called the MOKE in the late 60's here in Australia. Some were sold to the military and others like the 'Acapulco Thing' were sold to the general public. Occasionally I see a MOKE driving around..popular with the beach crowd.

As for the NEO Beetle - it's still based on the Audi floorpan; the front view's great, Herbie lives - but the rear looks like a Toyota Corolla Ascent !

I understood the original Moke had an engine at each end (Mini engine and gearbox), but the linkages proved too complex so it defaulted to the single engine at the front. Can anyone confirm this? It would be a fun device to drive.

This is a quote from Wikipedia re the 'Twini' Moke

In a further attempt to make something for the army, a few four-wheel drive Mokes were made by the addition of a second engine and transmission at the back of the vehicle with linked clutches and gear shifters.^[9] This did nothing for the ground-clearance problems, and mechanical complications discouraged development beyond the prototype stage.^[7][8] This vehicle was called "The Twini" and was shown to the US Army-again with no success.

At least two four-wheel drive Moke prototypes were manufactured by Leyland Australia in the late 1970's, but unlike the British version, these used just one engine. Leyland were planning to market this version, but Moke production in Australia ended in 1981 and all that remains of the project is one of the prototypes which is now owned by an enthusiast in Western Australia ^[7][8] and a modified differential crownwheel with gearteeth cut in the side to drive the rear tailshaft, in the personal collection of a Melbourne Mini specialist.

Seen a 1963 VW Convertible 1300 today. 100% restored to factory specs. I forget the HP, the MPG = 29. I'd buy this one. Also seen a car show, Chevy Malibu fully blown 350, 900HP, 2 MPG. Street Car!