Volkswagen kills off Beetle model

It is the end of the road for the Volkswagen Beetle.

After three generations of the iconic Beetle model, spanning nearly seven decades, German car manufacturer announced last week that global production of the design will cease in July 2019.

There are no immediate plans to replace the Beetle model, but Volkswagen Group of America CEO in charge of the unit Hinrich Woebcken said “I would also say, never say never,” according to a report by Al Jazeera.

“The loss of the Beetle after three generations, over nearly seven decades, will evoke a host of emotions from the Beetle’s many devoted fans,” Woebcken said in a statement on September 13.

Volkswagen, usually shortened to VW, is German for “the people’s car” having started as an answer to high priced vehicles being sold in Nazi Germany in the 1930’s.

With the prompting of Adolf Hitler and through the German Labour Front, legendary car manufacturer Ferdinand Porsche developed a car for the people in terms of affordability. The design Porsche came up with was that of the beetle.

Post the Second World War, Beetle became a symbol of a new, democratic Germany and gained popularity when it began distribution in the US in 1949. By the 1960s, it had become the preferred vehicle of the hippie culture and was popularised further by the 1968 Disney movie, The Love Bug.

In ceasing production of the Beetle, Volkswagen will end by adding two special edition versions of the model, named Final Edition SE and Final Edition SEL.

SEE ALSO : NASPERS TO LIST MULTICHOICE GROUP ON JSE