The car world will soon enter the electric age and in doing so, some old favourites will have to be let go. One of them will be the iconic Volkswagen Beetle, which will not be replaced after the current car goes out of production. This was confirmed by VW R&D boss Frank Welsch, according to Autocar.
Welsch said at the Geneva Motor Show that “two or three generations is enough now,” referring to the Bug, which was brought back to life in 1997, with the current and second generation model following in 2011.
The VW man said the car was “made with history in mind but you can’t do it five times and have a new new new Beetle.” The Beetle is also available as a convertible, and Welsch said that the recently confirmed T-Roc convertible will fill the role of the Beetle Cabriolet.
No future Beetle EV to rival the upcoming MINI Electric does not mean that VW is completely throwing retro out of the window. Europe’s biggest carmaker has already confirmed that it will turn the Volkswagen ID Buzz electric concept into reality. Inspired by the Type 2 Transporter, the new age bus will be the retro car in VW’s ID electric family.
Based on the VW Group’s new electric platform, the battery-powered Microbus will be due from 2021. “With MEB (VW’s EV platform), you can do a bus and be an authentic vehicle with the original shape, and steering wheel mounted like the original. You can’t do that with an engine in the front. The shape you see on the concept is realistic,” Welsch said.
“People asked when production starts on the car, so we decided to go that way. Better to have that than having five generations of a new Beetle. We had all these Microbus concepts in the past but all were front engined. The physicality of bringing it on MQB or PQ-something to life does not work,” he added.
So, if you’ve always wanted a Beetle, or want a reminder of the previous motoring era in an electric world, this is your last chance to get one.
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No tears shed.
the Lejen lives on…
Legend keeps engine behind
Such a good car. Infact, pity VW did not merge with Proton, otherwise, we can have a rebadged Beetle. Real German car as opposed to China quality car.
Not merge. They wanted to buy Proton shareholding outright.
Oh, and China quality?
https://paultan.org/2018/02/26/li-shufu-zhejiang-geely-holding-founder-is-now-daimlers-biggest-shareholder-with-9-69-stake/
You are too young to appreciate classic history
RIP bug… In modern days, you are more of a Fashion Statement than People’s Car
Volkswagen Bettle: I’ll be back……!
:-)
VW could not replicate the emotional connection and raw beauty of the original beetle. It was affordable and everyone loved its quirky looks.
The next generation beetle was just a car with exorbitant pricing and in competition with better cars in the price range. It wasn’t able to evoke the nostalgia, feel, joy of the original beetle.
Goodbye my friend, you made my family happy (talking about the original).
APOM balik! Talking flip here flip there.
That is sad news for me. An electric Beetle would really be a big seller. It’s a mistake. The Beetle is more than a car. In the U.S. it is a statement.