Volkswagen Doing Away With Its Iconic Beetle

Will end production of the car next year
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Sep 13, 2018 3:57 PM CDT
Volkswagen Doing Away With Its Iconic Beetle
In this April 21, 2017, file photo Volkswagen Beetles displayed during the annual gathering of the "Beetle club" in Yakum, central Israel.   (AP Photo/Oded Balilty, File)

Volkswagen says it will stop making its iconic Beetle in July of next year, the AP reports. Volkswagen of America on Thursday announced the end of production of the third-generation Beetle by introducing two final special editions. The Beetle was developed in Nazi Germany in 1938 and came to the US 11 years later. It sold for about 30 years before production ceased. The company revived it in 1998 and revamped it for the 2012 model year in an effort to help it attract more male buyers. The car got a flatter roof, less bulbous shape, a bigger trunk and a navigation system.

Volkswagen of America didn't rule out bringing the bug back in the future but says it has no plans at this time. "As we move to being a full-line, family-focused automaker in the US and ramp up our electrification strategy with the MEB platform, there are no immediate plans to replace it," Volkswagen Group of America Chief Executive Officer Hinrich Woebcken said in a statement, per CNBC. Forbes says the two special editions will be called the Final Edition SE and the Final Edition SEL, and Motor1 has more on those editions. (More Volkswagen Beetle stories.)

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