Volkswagen to pull the plug on Beetle by 2018: Report

German car maker Volkswagen may discontinue the production of its iconic car Beetle, which is known as the Bug car, from 2018. According to Worldcarfans, Volkswagen is not keen on continuing sales of the Beetle due to slow sales and the German outfit wanted to concentrate more on compact utility vehicles in the future.

The Beetle is one of the oldest names in the automobile history that is still in production. First entered into production in 1938, the Beetle was born after a suggestion from Adolf Hitler that environed the idea of "people's car." The two-door, four seater, rear-engined car swiftly became world famous and eventually 21 million Beetles were sold worldwide by 2003. The basic silhouette of the car remained unchanged until 1998, when the car received its first major redesign. The new edition came with major technical as well as design upgrades yet keeping the basic design of small car.

The latest face-lifted model of the Beetle was launched in India in December for Rs. 28.73 lakh, ex-Mumbai. In the new avatar, it features bi-xenon headlamps, front fog lamps, electrically foldable ORVMs, a rear spoiler, dual exhaust and 16-inch alloy wheels. The new one was slightly angular in design as opposed to the rounded edges of the previous models. The Beetle sold in India is powered by an in-line four-cylinder 1395cc TSI petrol engine developing 148bhp and 250Nm of torque, mated to seven-speed DSG transmissions. The car comes with a 0-100kmph time of 8.7 seconds and top speed of 203kmph.

The brand will focus on utility vehicles, henceforth as there is huge demand for such vehicles in the global market. Volkswagen recently unveiled T-Cross Breeze, the first model of the future utility vehicle line-up.