Ich kann nicht glauben, was ich höre!
(I can’t believe what I’m hearing.)
Volkswagen has said “Nein” to the electric Beetle. Why?
According to a Motortrend interview with Herbert Diess, CEO of Volkswagen Group, the direct answer to whether or not the company plans an electric Beetle is “No. You have to do something emotional, but I think we can’t cover the historic lineup of Volkswagen with electric cars, and we shouldn’t.”
The journalist’s question wasn’t far-fetched – Volkswagen had unveiled the ebugster electric Beetle concept in 2014.
vw-ebugster
Manufacturer
And it’s not just the electric Beetle Volkswagen’s putting the kibosh on – the Bug itself is history at the end of this year.
Volkswagen Beetle
Josh Max
Seriously, though, is there any automobile more “emotional” than the Love Bug? Does a car experience get more emotional than when seeing the dandelions millions of Beetle-buyers placed in the dashboard-mounted vase of their new Beetle? Are there any 70-something hippies who don’t mist up at the thought of their younger, barefoot selves, bopping around town in tie-dye shirts, beads and headbands while cranking “Get Together,” “For What It’s Worth” and “Dance To The Music” from their VW bug, the pavement visible under their gas pedal from the rust?
I think not.
Even the Love Bug, Herbie, shares Mr. Diess’ first name.
The 1997 re-launch of the Beetle was a masterstroke. Unlike some do-overs of iconic brands which keep the name and nothing else, VW wisely hung onto the Bug’s instantly recognizable pod shape, and gone was the impossible-to-shift car of old with its wafer-thin doors and noisy engine.
Volkswagen Beetle
Josh Max
A curious phenomenon, though. I tested eight Beetles since the relaunch, and though each test was fun in its way and I got many “Awww” looks in city neighborhoods, I found the Beetle the Rodney Dangerfield of cars on the freeway – no respect. Time and again, folks just eased on over in front of me, no signal, no horn, just “Give way, little man,” and it was either take evasive action or prepare to be crushed.
Despite the lack of road respect, the new Bug excelled on its clever and solid design and a relatively cheap price. It was also a boon to the big and tall; an extra-extra-large pal bought one two years ago and still swears by its ease of entrance and exit.
The crux of this bombshell news comes on the heels of the Geneva motor show, where Diess revealed the imminent arrival (2022) of an electric Volkswagen microbus in collab0ration with e.Go Mobile, a German startup building VW’s “I.D. Buggy.”
But no Beetle, no way.
Fans of the Beetle can console themselves knowing that this year marks the debut of Volkswagen’s all-new Arteon sedan with its “bold exterior styling.”