Volkswagen will put the production of its legendary Beetle to an end later this year after more than seven decades on the assembly lines.
The Beetle Final Edition SE which starts at $23,940 will be the final Beetle produced with an internal combustion engine. Also it’s confirmed that the retro-inspired model won’t receive an electric successor.
MotorTrend had the chance to speek with Volkswagen’s CEO, Herbert Diess, at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. So they discussed a lot of topics about the German brand. Among them was a potential EV replacement for the Beetle for which Diess said it is not currently in the cards.
Question about a potential electric Beetle:
“No. You have to do something emotional, but I think we can’t cover the historic lineup of Volkswagen with electric cars, and we shouldn’t.”
This pretty clearly confirms there won’t be a new Beetle, be it with an ICE, a hybrid, or with an electric powertrain.
We’ll have to say our last goodbye to the Beetle by the end of this year. It’s sad to see such a storied nameplate leave the industry but it’s a well-deserved retirement after millions of sales over more than seven decades.
