Volkswagen might drop the Beetle from the lineup by the completion of 2018 making room for more crossovers, Autoline states on Twitter. Its Autoline Daily video that mentions a report from Autoforecast Solutions that informs the Tiguan would take up the production area at the company’s Peubla, Mexico, factory. Autoblog reached out to VW spokesperson Mark Gillies, who stated, “We don’t talk about media speculation.”
It would make the end of an icon for the German company if this report were precise. Presented for the 1998 design year, the first-gen New Beetle was an economical halo design for the then-quirky brand. It rode a wave of retro-modern designs like the Chrysler PT Cruiser and Ford Thunderbird, and the VW was amongst the very best looking of those automobiles. A 2nd generation showed up for the 2012 model year. In spite of huge appeal in the ’90s, United States sales fell 22.3 percent last year to 22,667 deliveries. Beetle volume has lowered 42.1 percent from January to March 2016.
Two inconsistent reports from in 2015 add further secret about the Beetle’s future. A report from Germany declared that Volkswagen was considering squashing its bug because killing it would save cash. On the other hand, Dr. Heinz-Jakob Neusser told Autoblog soon later that a third-generation design was in development, and the next Beetle would ride on the MQB platform.
Volkswagen’s public understanding has been dragged through the mud over some months in the wake of the still-developing diesel scandal, and we’re not so sure that eliminating the Beetle is a good idea. While sales aren’t at their greatest, the joyful design reveals a happier side of the brand, and it offers a direct connect to a fondly remembered past. As soon as again, if investments into a 3rd generation are currently occurring– and we wouldn’t be amazed if they were– we ‘d like to see how Volkswagen keeps the Beetle prevalent.
