Volkswagen Beetle is no more: Here’s more on the ID Buzz electric concept to replace it

Volkswagen Beetle has enjoyed a special place in history. One of the very first small cars in the world with a design very distinct from others, the Beetle rose to greater popularity with movies like Herbie the Love Bug.

Volkswagen Beetle is no more: Here’s more on the ID Buzz electric concept to replace it

1963 Volkswagen Beetle as Herbie Love Bug (Image: Lindsay Cars)

Volkswagen Beetle will go out of production, there will be no new renditions of it, Volkswagen R&D boss Frank Welsch has confirmed to Autocar UK during the Geneva Motor Show. The retro-styled Volkswagen Beetle will be gone after its current generation and the VW ID Buzz electric concept will take its place as the only retro car in the German brand’s product lineup. According to Welsch, the Beetle was “made with history in mind but you can’t do it five times and have a new new new Beetle”.

Volkswagen Beetle is sold as a coupe and a convertible. The recently confirmed Volkswagen T-Roc convertible will be a replacement for the Beetle Cabriolet, as much as the Golf and Eos convertible models. Volkswagen launched the new Beetle in the year 1997, followed by a second-generation in 2011.

 

The Beetle was indeed a ‘heritage’ model in Volkswagen’s lineup, and now this purpose of heritage in VW’s future will be served by the Microbus, along with the production version of the ID Buzz due around 2021 or 22 based on the VW Group’s new electric platform.

Through VW ID Buzz, Volkswagen will bring back its iconic 1949 Type 2 van. It was initially intended to be a concept but Volkswagen received several emails from prospective buyers who urged that the ID Buzz be brought to reality.

The ID Buzz will be all-electric capable of autonomous driving at level-3. It will have all-wheel-drive powered by two electric motors producing a weird 347 hp! It’ll do 0-100 km/h in 5 seconds and the top speed will be limited to 160 km/h.

Also read: From Delhi to Mumbai in a Volkswagen Beetle: Is the bug a practical car for long drives? We find out

 

“With MEB [the VW Group’s electric car platform], you can do a bus and be an authentic vehicle with the original shape, and steering wheel mounted like the original. You can’t do that with an engine in the front. The shape you see on the concept is realistic,” said Welsch.

Volkswagen Beetle has enjoyed a special place in history. It was one of the very first small cars in the world with a design very distinct from others at a time when straight lines was a norm. The Beetle rose to greater popularity with movies like Herbie the Love Bug, featuring a 1963 Beetle which had a mind of its own and could drive itself too.

The Beetle, love it or hate it, holds a special place with automotive enthusiasts. And now it will be relegated to history, with some rare sightings every now and then making it furthermore nostalgic.

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This article was first uploaded on March eleven, twenty eighteen, at two minutes past two in the afternoon.
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