German car maker Volkswagen may discontinue the production of its iconic car Beetle, which is known as the Bug, from 2018.
The current, third generation Beetle was introduced in 2011 and was the second iteration of the modern day Volkswagen Beetle. The Beetle will not proceed to the fourth generation, as there’s not enough demand for it. From 1,09,000 units in 2013, the annual production of the Beetle dropped to 64,000 units in 2015, a steep fall of 41%. Sale of crossovers dominate any given day, hence Volkswagen wants to focus now on this segment.
The Beetle is one of the oldest names in the automobile history that is still in production. Its production started back in 1938 and the Beetle was born after Adolf Hitler’s suggestion of a “people’s car.” The two-door, four-seater and rear-engined car quickly became world famous and eventually 21 million Beetles were sold around the globe by 2003. The basic outline of the car remained unchanged until 1998, when the car received its first major redesign. The new edition came with major technical as well as design upgrades yet keeping the basic design of a small car.
The Polo, which was the 4th bestselling car in Europe overall has been in production for around four decades, making it the third most successful car in Volkswagen history. The production of it will also be phased out. The reason being, demand for the 3-door models is now low because it offers less practicality and the 5-door model only costs about 500 euros more (Rs. 37,567)
The brand will focus on utility vehicles henceforth as there is huge demand for such vehicles in the global market. Volkswagen recently uncovered the T-Cross Breeze, the first model of the future utility vehicle line-up. Volkswagen wants to focus more on SUVs and crossovers. The Volkswagen Beetle’s discontinuation at the Puebla plant will be used for the Volkswagen Tiguan which will enter production at this site in late-2016.
Volkswagen Beetle To Be Discontinued
– The famous bug car will no more be produced from 2018 onwards
– Volkswagen now wants to shift focus to crossovers and SUVs
– Volkswagen Polo also to join the list
– Volkswagen Tiguan will be produced in the Beetle’s plant instead
