The VW Beetle R-Line may have the bones of an old GTI, but, compared to the modern crop of hot hatchbacks, it remains more of a designer accessory than a red-blooded hot hatch.

The results were immediate as Volkswagen sold 120,000 cars in 1960 and saw exponential growth throughout the rest of the decade. ... Not just an economy car, but a cultural icon.

Set to be the smallest model in Volkswagen’s electric car line-up, the company is, according to a report in the UK’s Autocar, “working full steam ahead” on the city-sized model that the ...