Say your goodbyes to the Beetle

RIGHT after we published an article last week on whether the iconic Volkswagen (VW) Beetle will end its production run, AFP reported that the carmaker announced that it would end production of the model in 2019 after adding a pair of final editions of the vehicles.

The move comes about because Volkswagen is now emphasing electric autos and larger familyoriented vehicles, said Hinrich Woebcken, chief executive of Volkswagen Group of America.

But Woebcken opened the door to reviving the model at some point, alluding to the company’s 2017 decision to unveil a revamped Volkswagen bus as a possible template.

“Never say never,” he said in a statement.

Volkswagen plans to offer the two final edition models in both coupe and convertible styles.

The cars will include nods to earlier versions and be priced from $23,045 (RM93,540) and up, the company said.

“The loss of the Beetle after three generations, over nearly seven decades, will evoke a host of emotions from the Beetle’s many devoted fans,” Woebcken said.

The saloons made their US debut in the 1950s and were popularised with the 1968 Disney movie The Love Bug.

US sales ceased in 1979, but the vehicle continued to be produced in Mexico and Brazil, according to Car and Driver magazine. VW revived the “New Beetle” in the US 1997. However, the vehicle’s history goes back to the Nazi era, having first been developed by Ferdinand Porsche with support from Adolf Hitler, who wanted a cheap, simple car to be mass-produced for his country’s new road network.

The model became widely known in its home country as the “Kafer” (German for “beetle”) and was later marketed under that name in Germany, and simply as “Volkswagen” in other countries.

The original 25hp Beetle was designed for a top speed around 100km/h. It was gradually increased in the post-WW2 years; to 36hp, and then 40hp, the configuration that lasted through 1966 and became the “classic” Volkswagen motor.