Volkswagen’s ‘Millenium’ Beetle started a whole retro craze around the turn of the century, only to disappear again after two generations that failed to set the sales charts alight.
Granted, the modern day Beetles were somewhat niche and not exactly spiritual successors to their utilitarian, rear-engined ancestor that put the VW brand on the map in the first place.
But fans of the venerable Bug could be forgiven for getting their hopes up for a new generation model, after Volkswagen created a battery-powered Beetle concept car for the movie “Miracolours: Ladybug & Cat Noir” that was announced last month.
But the animated electric vehicle shown in the film is looking set to remain a flight of fancy as the carmaker’s global CEO Thomas Schäfer has confirmed there are no plans for such a vehicle.
He recently spoke to Autocar about how the brand was not planning to throw away successful names like Golf and Tiguan as the carmaker transitions into the electric era.
However when the British publication asked him about a possible Beetle revival, Schäfer said he didn’t think this would happen as certain vehicles have had their day and thus it would not make sense to bring them back.
"I wouldn't say with 100% (certainty). But from where I stand now, I wouldn't consider it. It's the same as Scirocco: it had its day, then there was a new model based on a reinterpretation. To do that again? I don't think so,” Schäfer said.
“And going forward with balancing all these technologies and the cost that is associated with it, you've got to invest money in the best possible place."
Late last year the CEO told Autocar that its ID branding would continue to adorn electric cars, but in some cases the acronym would be combined with a traditional name.
“We have iconic brand names, Golf and GTI. It would be crazy to let them die and slip away. We will stick with the ID logic but iconic models will carry a name,” Schäfer said.
However it remains to be seen whether the Polo nameplate will survive the transition.
It is widely expected that the production version of the Volkswagen ID.2all concept that’s due in 2025 will replace the Polo in most global markets.
This of course, could create a pickle for VWSA, which is a big exporter of the Polo, and the company is considering building a new budget SUV-type product in the country to help take up some of the slack.
But whichever way the cookie crumbles, Golf is here to stay, but Beetle and Scirocco are a no-go, for the time being at least.