goodbye to an icon - volkswagen celebrates the beetle with a final edition

it’s the end of an era — the volkswagen beetle, a million bestseller, cult object, and design icon, is celebrating its farewell with a final edition.

but first, let’s rewind a little bit. the idea of the beetle started more than 80 years ago on a white sheet of paper and initially had only three demands of its developers: space for four people, maximum speed of 100 kilometres per hour, and costing a maximum of 1,000 reichsmarks. fast forward to today, the beetle is considered a symbol of the german economic miracle and of the revival of mobility in the post-war years. with more than 21 million units sold, the beetle was considered the best-selling car in the world in the 20th century.

all images courtesy of volkswagen

in the 1950s, the beetle was exported to the united states where it quickly became a symbol of quality. it was there where the car celebrated its retro reincarnation in 1998, pinned as the new beetle, with design references to the original one.

‘it’s impossible to imagine where volkswagen would be without the beetle,’ volkswagen of america president and CEO scott keogh said in a statement. ‘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.’

2019 marks the year where volkswagen is ending the beetle production. and to celebrate the end of an era, the brand has created a final, limited edition of the beetle as a coupé and convertible for the US market with base prices from $23,045 usd to $27,295 usd. this final edition beetle will end production in puebla, mexico this month.