The People's Car: Bye Bye Beetle

Volkswagen’s Beetle has officially ended production. The last examples of the brand’s famous model rolled off the assembly line at VW’s Puebla plant in Mexico this week, with the company reserving the final one for display at Volkswagen’s local museum. The automaker said the car would live on as “a lasting tribute to the automobile’s rich and storied heritage.”

As one of the most recognizable and historically important cars ever made, the original Type 1 was manufactured between 1938 and 2003. The “New” Beetle hit the assembly line in 1997 before being replaced by the A5 version in 2011. Technically, that’s the car that’s getting the axe. However, with nothing in line to replace it, Beetle as a whole is going the way of the dodo.

Originally formulated as cheap transportation for the masses taking advantage of Nazi Germany’s new road network, the Beetle was designed to be easily manufactured and run as economical as possible. A team of engineers, led by Ferdinand Porsche, finalized the design in 1938. However, Béla Barényi is often credited with coming up with the original concept. In truth, the car’s origins are subject to a massive amount of debate. But its success is not — VW sold roughly 21.5 million in total.

“It’s impossible to imagine where Volkswagen would be without the Beetle,” said Scott Keogh, President and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America. “From its first import in 1949 to today’s retro-inspired design, it has showcased our company’s ability to fit round pegs into square holes of the automotive industry. While its time has come, the role it has played in the evolution of our brand will be forever cherished.”

Nothing lasts forever. Despite achieving a ludicrous amount of success worldwide, the Type1 had been around for the better part of a century before its replacement surfaced — helping to launch the modern retro trend. Immediately popular, the New Beetle lacked the longevity of its forebear. But it did help get VW back on track in the United States, which was beginning to sour on the brand.

It’s replacement, the A5, still looked the part but fared comparatively poorly. Annual volume in the U.S. peaked at 43,134 deliveries in 2013. Last year, VW sold fewer than 15,000. The automaker announced it would be the Beetle’s last gasp in the fall.

Still, we can’t discount the car that spawned Herbie, the Meyers Manx, ludicrous sleeper builds, and served as an emblem of the hippie movement just because its FWD offspring weren’t superstars.

While this is supposed to be it for the Beetle, we’re not ruling out the possibility that the nameplate might someday return on an electric model. Volkswagen has already tapped the Type 2 (Mircobus) to serve as inspiration for the upcoming I.D. Buzz EV. The automaker could theoretically use the Type 1 in a similar manner. But the gas-powered bugs appeared to have had their — impressively long — day in the sun.

[Images: Peter Kniez/Shutterstock, Volkswagen]