Rejection of retro: Volkswagen does not plan to revive the Beetle

According to the head of the German concern, the future «green» line of the brand will include Golf, Passat and Tiguan, but the Beetle will remain in the past .

Volkswagen developed the original Beetle/Käfer in the 1930s. Later, in 1997 and 2011, more modern followers of this model appeared in the line, moreover, they retained the retro design. The manufacturer completed the release of the «Beetle» in July 2019. Since then, the famous car has become part of history. And, as it turned out, the company plans that this model will remain there, in the past.

In the photo: Volkswagen Beetle (Final Edition)

According to British Autocar, citing Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schaefer, the group has ruled out the possibility of reviving the Beetle in the era of electric vehicles; in his words, «it is important to look forward, not backward.» The question of whether the Beetle could be resurrected comes after the head of VW said earlier that a number of iconic titles are likely to survive the transition from combustion to electric.

Regarding the possible return of the Volkswagen Beetle, Thomas Schaefer said that «there are certain cars that have outlived their lives, it would be pointless to bring it back.» Judging by his words, one should also not expect such names as Arteon and Scirocco in the lineup. The head of VW explained that the Scirocco «had its time, and then a new model appeared, which was based on a rethinking of its predecessor.» />

It is worth noting that the possibility of the return of the Beetle in the form of a five-door electric hatchback was previously discussed. This option was provided in the plan of the ex-head of the concern Herbert Diess: he wanted to replenish the Volkswagen line with more “emotional” models like the ID. buzz. However, the current CEO decided not to follow this plan: Thomas Schaefer believes that the path to the revival of retro models will be a dead end.

The current head of VW noted that now some companies use famous names from the past as names for new (and completely different) cars. However, he believes that the name can only return if the new model «adheres to the spirit of its namesake», «uses the same genes».

Pictured: Volkswagen Beetle (Final Edition) interior

According to Thomas Schaefer, Volkswagen's all-electric lineup is expected to include models such as the Golf, Passat and Tiguan. “We decided that we are not going to abandon traditional successful names,” said the head of the concern. Note that the company previously officially announced the appearance of the «green» Tiguan: it is known that the production of such a model with its own design will start in 2025.

Recall that the premiere of the third generation Volkswagen Tiguan will take place next autumn. In the middle of this month, the manufacturer published new details and photos of a disguised prototype of the future crossover. A little later, the designer Kolesa.ru suggested what the new Tiguan would look like.