Have you ever wanted to drive in a Beetle->ke318-shaped pair of blue jeans? Well, VW may just give you that opportunity after unveiling the 2015 Beetle Convertible Denim Concept at the New York International Auto Show. In what could have been one of the better April Fools Day pranks, VW modeled the exterior, interior, and even the convertible top of this Beetle to have various blue-jean-like features, including a 1980s favorite, stonewashed jeans.

You may be surprised to learn that the Jeans edition is sort of a tradition in the Beetle lineup. Back in 1974, during the rise ofin popularity of denim jeans, VW released the Jeans Bug, which had black “Jeans” logos on the doors and hood, Lemmerz GT wheels, and denim-style fabric on the seats with orange stitching (you know, the same hideous color stitching on dark-blue jeans).

Despite how odd this blue-jeans-inspired concept is, it certainly wasn’t the oddest of the slew of Beetle concepts this year. Vee-dub went all out this year, and we all need to tip our caps to the automaker for stepping outside the box with these models, despite how pointless they may seem.

Continue reading to learn more about the 2015 Volkswagen Beetle Denim Concept.

2015 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible Denim Concept

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2015 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible Denim Concept
  • Segment: Array
  • Engine/Motor: inline-4
  • Horsepower: 170
  • Torque: 184
Pros
Cons

Exterior

Well, let’s dive into this strange concept… The blue-jean inspirations start on the outside with a dark-blue soft top that VW textured to resemble denim, and Stonewashed Blue Metallic paint. Though this 1980s-trend-inspired paint is the best suited for this rig, Volkswagen has nine other colors available for a potential production model.

Contrasting the exterior hue are the gray-colored side skirts, body moldings, and side-view mirror caps. Also helping spice things up are “Denim” logos on the bottom of the doors and a set of super-shiny chrome wheels.

Interior

Though VW chose not to release any images of the interior, this area also received a nice dose of customization. VW did up the sport seats in a two-tone style, with the inner portions being a light-blue fabric and the outer portions being a dark-blue V-tex leatherette. The piping of the seats is in a contrasting white.

Other features strewn throughout the cabin include a brushed matte-aluminum dash pad, body-colored shoulder panels on the doors, contrasting blue door panel armrests, light-ceramique stitching on the steering wheel and gear shifter, and blue fabric with contrast stitching on the front-center armrest.

Overall, the interior actually sounds pretty neat; I only wish that Volkswagen would have released a few images of it.

Drivetrain

Powering this concept is the 1.8-liter TSI four-cylinder engine that produces 170 horsepower 184 pound-feet of torque. Though VW doesn’t officially confirm this, the 2015 Beetle Convertible is only available with a six-speed automatic transmission.

With this engine, the Beetle Convertible is surprisingly quick and fuel efficient, as it will hit 60 mph in 7.6 seconds and it gets 24 mpg city and 32 mpg highway.

Prices

The press release reads as if this model actually has a production future, and it wouldn’t shock me, as the Beetle has had its fair share of odd concepts become production models in recent years. If it does hit production, look for it to add around $3,000 to the Beetle Convertible’s base price of $25,595.

Competition

Mini Cooper Convertible

In the land of quirky convertibles, the Mini Cooper Convertible is one of the most recognizable. Its “cute” looks rival those of the Beetle's and are sure to test the masculinity of any dude found driving one. The base Mini Cooper Convertible comes standard with a handful of premium features, like 16-inch wheels, heated mirrors, a leather wrapped multifunction steering wheel, auto climate control, and more.

Under its hood is a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 121 horsepower and 114 pound-feet of torque. This amounts to an 8.9-second gallop to 60 mph and a top speed of 123 mph. Moving into the S model throws a turbo onto the 1.6-liter engine, jumping its output to 181 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque. This results in a 6.9-second run to 60 mph and a top speed of 140 mph.

The standard Mini Cooper Convertible checks in at $25,700 and the S model starts from $28,700.

Read our full review of the Mini Cooper Convertible here

Fiat 500c

Another equally odd convertible is the Fiat 500c. Sure, it may be significantly smaller than the Beetle and the Cooper, but there’s no denying that someone considering the Beetle may find the 500c an intriguing option. Unlike the Cooper and Beetle, the 500c has a rollback canvas insert instead of a full-fledge convertible top, which adds even more character to this small rig.

Powering the standard 500c is a 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 101 horsepower and 97 pound-feet of torque. This engine is available with either a standard five-speed manual transmission or an optional six-speed auto. With the manual transmission, this tiny convertible takes an agonizing 11.5 seconds to reach 60 mph, while the automatic does the same sprint even slower at 12.4 seconds.

There’s also an the Abarth model with 160 horses and 170 pound-feet of torque, and a standard six-speed manual gearbox. This model hits 60 mph in 7.1 seconds.

The base Fiat 500c starts at $20,140 and the Abarth model bases from $26,395.

Check out our full review of the 2015 Fiat 50c here->https://www.topspeed.com/cars/fiat/2015-fiat-500-ar163058.html]

Conclusion

I am always on the fence about these quirky concept cars, but I guess when we’re dealing with an already quirky car, an odd concept is just natural. Chances are that we’ll see this model hit production in very limited numbers as a late 2015 model or in the 2016 model year. So if you have an obsession with blue jeans, your chance to pick up your dream car may be right around the corner.