With VW's relentless push further into SUV territory, the future of the Beetle may be in doubt.

I generally don't believe in classic automotive stereotypes, but I do have to admit that there's a lot of truth to this one.....in my experience, it's rare to see a post-1997 Beetle driven by a male.


http://autoweek.com/article/car-news...en-beetle-dead

REPORT: THE VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE IS DEAD (AGAIN)

A next-gen Beetle is apparently not in VW's plans

MARCH 7, 2018During this year’s Geneva motor show, Volkswagen’s CEO, Dr. Herbert Diess, announced that “Volkswagen is evolving into an SUV brand” while talking about the convertible version of its newest compact crossover -- the T-Roc. While that’s good news for folks who want something akin to a smaller Nissan Murano Crosscabriolet, it became bad news for Beetle fans. According to a conversation R&D boss Frank Welsch had with Autocar, the Beetle won’t see a successor.

Welsch told Autocar the reason for not building a Beetle successor is “made with history in mind; you can't do it five times and have a new new new Beetle.” For those who forgot, the Beetle was revived in 1997 and was dubbed the New Beetle in 2011.


Volkswagen teased this T-Roc convertible at the Geneva motor show.


It appears VW will instead use the bus-like I.D. Buzz as its nostalgia play, along with the Beetle-shaped T-Roc convertible (pictured above), to fill the void of a small, round convertible. Of course, if you’re stateside, you might not know what the T-Roc is, considering it hasn’t made its way to the U.S. yet. The I.D. Buzz is a different story, considering it already has a release date -- just right around the corner in 2022.

That means the Beetle still has some life left, and you’ll be able to still get one for a while. But after Volkswagen’s electric push and its full evolution into an “SUV brand” happens, you’ll be out of luck.

 

The current Beetle is not a real Beetle anyway it only somewhat resembles it visually and shares the name. It won't be missed.

 

Is there any sort of market for a 2 door economy type car now days? You can't market 2 door affordable/mainstream cars on style anymore, people don't buy them no matter how cool they look unless they are a Mustang, Camaro or Challenger. Even then Camaro sales are WAY OFF from 3-4 years ago.