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(Reuters) - Volkswagen AG showed off a redesigned Beetle small car on Monday at auto shows in Shanghai, Berlin and New York. The new version is the third generation of the "Beetle" originally introduced in 1938. The 2012 Beetle is 6 inches longer than its predecessor, "The New Beetle," introduced in 1998, at 168 inches, and it is 3.3 inches wider at 71.2 inches. Some 21.5 million of the original iconic smaller Beetle, widely known in the U.S. as "The Bug," were sold around the world after it was first introduced in Germany before World War II. At the time it was known simply as "Volkswagen," which meant, "the people's car." Now, the name of the company that was once a car model is now the third-largest automaker in the world. The newest Beetle will launch in the U.S. market in September and October, in the European market in October and November, and in the Asian market in February 2012. It has a 2.5-liter, five-cylinder engine with 170 horsepower. Volkswagen has gained on global sales leaders Toyota Motor Corp and General Motors Co in the past several years, and it sold more than 7 million vehicles last year for the first time. However, while its sales are improving in the United States, it still is a relatively small player, with a market share near 3 percent, including its luxury brand Audi.