Volkswagen kills the beetle, ending the production of an iconic vehicle

The latest generation of the Beetle debuted in 2011, but its roots go back to 1938 as VW's first vehicle. It is one of the oldest and best selling vehicles of all time, with 22.7 million copies sold worldwide.

Production of the original Beetle ended in 2003, but a more modern version of the larger, more comfortable car was launched in 1997. The most recent model has been produced in Puebla, Mexico, since 1999.

For many Americans, the Beetle is a top-notch "hippie car" of the baby boomer generation, whose success paved the way for an influx of affordable foreign models in the 1970s and 1980s.

VW's decision marks the second time that the car will disappear from the US showrooms. US sales of the Ladybug ceased in 1979 and resumed with the new version of the car in 1998. The upgraded version of the Beetle, which featured a dashboard vase and a front engine, was replaced by a larger version. muscular. the redesign of the design took place as the original among its baby boomer fans or younger generations of car buyers.

"The [original] Beetle was a legend, "said David Kiley, author of the book" Bringing Out Insects: The Fall and Return of Volkswagen in America. "But the shy response to this latest Beetle is proof that even baby boomers have evolved, "he said.

Even though the United States is the largest vehicle market today, VW sold only 15,000 ladybugs in the country last year. That's less than 5% of the 339,700 cars sold by the company in the United States in 2017.

Company officials said the decision comes as VW focuses on other models and its range of electric cars, but has left the door open for a return of its best-known brand. "There is no immediate plan to replace it," said Hinrich J. Woebcken, head of US operations at VW.

The Beetle is joining an increasing number of models of small cars and sedans retired in the United States, while consumers are increasingly favoring crossovers, SUVs and vans. Larger, more versatile vehicles now account for two-thirds of sales in the United States and tend to generate higher profit margins. Other automakers, such as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV and

Ford Motor
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, have killed or plan to abandon several models of slow-selling cars in recent years.

The attempt to kill the Beetle comes as President Donald Trump has criticized imports from Germany and that, according to a new trade agreement with Mexico, the experts in the US have said it will not be possible. industry could increase the costs of some small cars built in Mexico.

A VW spokesman said the decision to stop production was not linked to changes in US trade policy. To compensate for the beetle's loss, the VW Puebla plant will turn to producing other models, he added.

The original Beetle became the symbol of the youth-led counterculture and peace movement in the 1960s, despite its vehicle roots commissioned by Adolf Hitler in the 1930s as a cheap car for the German masses.

Annual model sales in the United States peaked at 423,008 cars at the height of its popularity in 1968, the same year that a ladybug named Herbie was featured in the Disney movie "The Love Bug" .

Building on its success with the Beetle, VW became the first foreign brand to open a plant in the United States in 1978. This plant in New Stanton, Pennsylvania, closed in 1987. Several decades later, VW opened a another US plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which now produces Passat sedans and the Atlas SUV.

Write to Chester Dawson at [email protected]