Volkswagen announced Thursday that it will no longer make its Beetle model as of 2019.
“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,” Volkswagen’s President and CEO, Hinrich Woebcken said in the announcement Thursday.
“As we move to being a full-line, family-focused automaker in the U.S. and ramp up our electrification strategy with the MEB platform, there are no immediate plans to replace it,” he explained.
{mosads}His statement did not rule out the Beetle’s return in the future.
“I would also say, ‘Never say never,'” Woebcken noted in the announcement.
The company is not leaving behind all of its well-known older models.
Volkswagen is releasing an electric revamp of its microbus, the I.D. Buzz.
The firm also said that two special Beetle models will be a part of the final release of the model: Final Edition SE and Final Edition SEL.