Beetle bows out
Volkswagen close door on Beetle made famous on big screen
The classic VW is being consigned to history – and what a history it’s had.
But sadly, a car that managed to survive the Third Reich has finally fallen to the growing love of outsized motors.
And so, after 80 eventful years the Beetle is finally coming to the end of the road.
THE Beetle car is coming to the end of the road after Volkswagen revealed they are to stop making the model.
Production of the bug-shaped motor will end at the firm’s Mexico plant next July when two special editions are released. Developed in Nazi Germany as the “people’s car” after being conceived – at the behest of Adolf Hitler – in the early 1930s by engineer Ferdinand Porsche, the Beetle went on to star in Disney films as a vehicle called Herbie.
However, declining sales in recent years, particularly in the US, has led Volkswagen – who were hit by the diesel emissions scandal – to call time on the car.
The firm’s Hinrich Woebcken 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.”
The final Beetle models will be available in both coupe and convertible styles.