One of the most iconic cars of its generation has ended production after Volkswagen called time on the famous Beetle marque.
The final Beetle rolled off the production line on Thursday, finished in Denim Blue, and will be headed to Volkswagen’s Puebla Museum, Mexico.
Mexico has had a strong and long relationship with the Beetle, they produced the last ever version of the old-style Beetle in 2003, and after the German company announced that they were bringing an end to production of the newer-model, it was Mexico’s Puebla plant which was chosen as the factory to build the last ever of a model which has starred in countless movies and was an icon of the swinging sixties generation.
The news of the car’s demise will come as no surprise to many, despite it being well loved, VW had only sold 1,598 Beetles in 2017, and in September 2018 the company announced that they were planning to axe the model.
Launched in 1938 in Germany, the Beetle sold 23 million in its original form up until 2003, and after VW announced a revamped interpretation the Beetle gained a new lease of life in new markets.
"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," then-CEO Volkswagen Hinrich J. Woebcken said in a statement last year.
"There are no immediate plans to replace it," Woebcken continued. "I would also say, 'Never say never.' "