Volkswagen has announced that one of its old iconic models, the Beetle, is set for extermination, after a long and storied history dating back eight decades.
Speaking at the Geneva motor show on Monday, VW’s Head of Research and Design, Frank Welsch, said that the production version of the company’s ID Buzz electric concept–taking cues from the Type 2 Transporter better known as the Microbus – will wave the retro flag.
A production version of the ID Buzz is slated for the 2022 model year, according to the report by an online auto-journal, thecarconnection.com.
It quotes Welsch as saying, “Two or three generations is enough now” for the Beetle, adding that the car was “made with history in mind but you can’t do it five times and have a new Beetle.”
The ID Buzz, an electric resurrection of VW’s famed bus will feature a rear-mounted engine and the same steering wheel placement as the original to keep its retro styling authentic. It’ll be up to consumers to decide if John Lennon glasses, tie-dye shirts, and bell-bottom jeans will return.
The Buzz will be part of the company’s new ID family of cars that will also include an all-electric hatchback and crossover SUV.
It also says the VW will position the Buzz to be the star of the ID lineup and to help the company rebuild its reputation after its massive Dieselgate emissions-cheating scandal.
The VW stopped selling the original Beetle in the United States in 1979 after it failed to comply with safety and emissions standards, although it was still built for global markets for another quarter of a century.
The VW rode the retro-inspired wave in 1998 with a modern interpretation it called the New Beetle. A third-generation arrived in 2012 with a more aggressive style sporty coupe intention, but sales never met the VW’s expectations.
