The first thing you will notice is that it will not come with that noisy engine from the past. Instead those clever German’s has decided to make this one electric. No longer will you have to shout when going on trips to the beach with your surfing buddies, as there will be no sound from that powerplant.

That electric motor has an amazing range, 186 miles – much better range than the Nissan Leaf. The minivan will get from 0 to 62mph in 11.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 87mph – has that taken into consideration the drag factor from the surfboards on the roof? Those figures looks very impressive, so how far away are we from production?

As yet Volkswagen has yet to state if this will stay a concept, and it they do produce it then will there be any changes? The jury is out on this design, but we have seen much worse (view images on Autoblog). The concept that they had on show was more like a minivan, but there is certainly potential there for different configurations, such as a sink, cooker or even a TV and games console in the rear.

Do you think that the VW Bulli Microbus will be the next camper van?

I say successfully, as in the past attempts of making the iPad a part of the dash have been pretty bad according to Auto Spies. They were lucky enough to be at the event in Geneva and were able to see the demonstration, taking lots of pictures as well.

They say that VW ‘stunned’ the show with the reveal of their Microbus but what was more shocking was how well the iPad integration worked. The tablet is accommodated in a cradle designed especially for it central to the dashboard. It sits on a pivot so the passenger can also use the device if needed.

It allows for navigation of course, music playing and climate control. Gives heads up display of the speedometer, other display icons, communicates with Bulli’s Bluetooth and even lets you read e-mails.

Check out the VW concept over at Auto Spies by clicking the link above, where you will find some awesome pictures from the Geneva Motor Show. Do you think this van will ever make production? What do you think of the VW Bulli design? Share your thoughts with us below.

According to Starred Reviews, the new design will have a more muscular look, so could finally drop that girly image. Having studied those recent spy shots, it looks as though the new model will have a higher roofline and will not be as rounded, which is also a main issue with the current design.

The 2012 Volkswagen Beetle will sit in the road with a more aggressive stance, this is because it will be both wider and longer, and the alloy wheels will also help to achieve this image. The German automaker knows that getting performance and fuel-economy balanced is a tough job, but I feel tht they are more than up for the task.

There are a number of roads that VW can go down, and I would not mind betting that they would consider a hybrid version in time. Who knows, maybe one day we could even see an all-electric version like the Nissan Leaf.

What do you expect from the 2012 VW Beetle?

We have yet to see the new vehicle, but we were treated to a little reveal on the show – well a silhouette of it. However, Oprah has seen the car, but her 275 audience members and us have not. According to Chris Paukert from Autoblog, he believes that VW will unveil the new 2012 Volkswagen Beetle sometime in the Spring.

Not much is known about the new vehicle, but we do know that it will come with all the latest technology inside, such a touchscreen and Bluetooth. The last car that the chat show host gave away was a Pontiac G6 in 2004.

There have been sightings of the new vehicle though, Kirby from Top Speed reported last month that one was spotted, and you can see that there are a few subtle changes – but not many. However, we do know that there will be bigger rear seats, which we discussed back in October 2009.

What do you hope to see changed with the new 2012 Volkswagen Beetle?

My figures were only that shocking as I do not have a diesel powered car, but still that would only offer up 400-600 miles. AutoBlog reports that a team from the Sunday Times newspaper started their journey from Kent, England and traveled to the South of France and then back again.

Having driven to the South of France on two occasion I can tell you that you do not get caught up in much traffic, so none of this stop and start business like you get in the UK. The VW Passat BlueMotion averaged 45 miles per hour and managed to achieve 90 miles per gallon.

The 1.6-liter TDI Volkswagen has now made it into the Guinness Book of World Records, for achieving the longest distance from a single tank of fuel from a production vehicle. This is certainly one in the eye for all those hybrid vehicles, which is said to be the greener option.

The Milano uses the same lithium ion batteries that Volkswagen will put in its electric vehicles due to start production in 2013, these will power a floor mounted 45 kilowatt-hour pack which will give a claimed 186-mile range. Body styling on the taxi concept showed a large curb-sided forward-sliding passenger door that will allow ease of access, front passenger seating had disappeared to add luggage space and touch screen monitors similar to current New York City cabs were used.

Although the Milano Taxi is a concept exercise at the moment AutoBlog reported that they wouldn’t be surprised to see similar production vehicles released from Volkswagen with the rise in popularity of electric powered vehicles. Check out the link to see pictures and Volkswagens press release.

Read more: AutoBlog