MILLENNIUM
CUP EDITION
HISTORY - MODEL - SEQUENCE
Some basic information about the departments involved and the process.
Latest findings on the construction & development of cars - May 2026
In May 2026, long-awaited evidence surfaced in the form of internal VW data lists.
which finally silences the rumors surrounding the Dubai Beetle !
Volkswagen AG clearly had "project oversight"!
She was the highest authority, which " approved" all important decisions and was also responsible for "quality control"!
Key Personnel During the Dubai Beetle Project
Although the specific employee responsible for the project is not yet publicly identified, several names from the management and leadership teams at VW at the time can be mentioned individuals who were certainly involved in the project in some capacity (... internal VW information * ).
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"Holger Ploog" served as the Board Member for Technical Development at Volkswagen de México S.A. prior to the "Dubai Beetle" project and later became a product manager in Wolfsburg. He maintained connections to Mexico and was a key advocate within the VW sales division a group that was fully aware of the vehicle's construction and the background details
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Michael Dick"was the Division Head for Overall Vehicle Development at Volkswagen at the time, before going on to become the Board Member for Development at Audi AG.Michael Dick"
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"Joachim Voiges" was the "Body Department Chief Engineer" in Puebla; he played a direct role and held responsibility for the conversion work on the "Dubai Beetle."
He issued instructions to the staff in the Puebla pilot department the very source of the facts regarding the Puebla operations that have long been published on this site.
There are names, connections, database records, and much more...
Still no reason for Volkswagen AG to come forward?
* As previously noted on every page, these names cannot be published without risking legal action from VAG
against the site or the employees involved.
The "VW RACING GmbH"
The "VW RACING GmbH" was put forward for the economic handling of the project, but the support for development and production remained "officially" with the VAG.
VW Racing GmbH was a small team within the VW Group's overall vehicle development / type support department, acting as an interface to all essential series production committees and systems. This team also had to test commercial products from manufacturers and suppliers, thus maintaining numerous contacts with major aftermarket providers. One employee commented on this...
Back then, we were engaged in "guerrilla development"!
But the success of the later Golf 4 R32 proved us right!
The "VOLKSWAGEN AG"
She officially held product liability responsibility and was the driving force behind the project. In this capacity, she was ultimately also fully responsible for type approval for (small) production vehicles and thus for product liability.
VOLKSWAGEN AG, VW RACING GmbH, VW Motorsport GmbH or whatever
VW would also like to be called... for this project
The responsibility for all 80 "Dubai Beetles" remains with the
VOLKSWAGEN GROUP!
The "PILOT DEPARTMENT" - VW plant Mexico
For the conversion of the 80 cars following the order received from the UAE,
The pilot department at the Mexico plant was chosen for understandable reasons.
(#81 was the prototype, which was built at VW RACING GmbH)
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They already had the production line for the RSI Beetle available there.
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The "know-how" of the employees who had already built the RSI
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No press or media outlet in Germany would have published everything immediately!
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Everything should be handled simply and quickly without annoying questions - like the ones on this website :(
The Middle East was far away back then, creating ideal conditions for no one to ask questions.
... no one had expected this website back then!
Where do these findings come from?
Recently surfaced internal documents from Volkswagen AG confirm all the information mentioned above. A VIN database of all Dubai Beetles built, including color assignments, export and dealer countries, documents the number of 81 cars produced (including 1 prototype) with their corresponding VIN numbers, the respective colors, and an official PR code list where VW refers to the project name of the Beetle shown here under " The Car" as " DUBAI BEETLE "!
Time-based documentaries - RSI - CUP BEETLE & DUBAI BEETLE *
The following list and the articles published to date are intended to illustrate the milestones of these special models.
For example:A small difference in the Dubai Beetle pictures ( in Blue ) more precisely:
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The stickers on the prototypes are larger and positioned further forward towards the door gap.
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On later production cars, these are smaller and positioned further back.
These pictures prove more than words – they are documented facts!
1998 - NEW BEETLE RSI - Presentation
Model: Design Study
Presented: March 13, 1998 *
Where: Detroid Motor Show
1998 - CUP CAR - Presentation BRD
Model: Design Study
Presented: September 6th -09/26/1998 *
Where: IAA Frankfurt Auto Show
Made in: Germany
1999 - Cup Edition Millennium Presentation
Model: Prototype Design - Stage 1
Presented: November 10th - 14th, 1999 *
Where: Dubai Motor Show -
Al Naboodah Showroom
2000 - Cup Edition Millennium
Model: Prototype - Stage 2 - Design
Sighted: probably 2000 *
Where: Public street - Germany
Built: presumably in Germany
2000 - Cup Edition Millennium
Model: Prototype - Stage 3
Spotted: 2000 *
Where: The presumably first finished prototype driven on German roads - the driver is a well- known VW employe.
2000 - NEW BEETLE RSI - Presentation
Model: Design Study
Presented: March 28, 2000 *
Where: Germany
2000 - Cup Car Presentation USA
Model: Design Study
Presented: Oct. 31 - Nov. 2, 2000
Where: SEEMA CAR SHOW - USA
2000 - DUBAI BEETLE - Series version
Model: 80 units built
Built: 2000 *
Where: Puebla / Mexico
Sold: ONLY in the Emirates
2001 - NEW BEETLE RSI
Model: 250 units built
Built: 2001 *
Where: Puebla / Mexico
Sold in: Germany
2003 - BEETLE RSI CABRIO
Model: Design Study
Presented: 2003 *
Sold: Never built!
Where: Germany
