The program called the “last mile” saw the last Volkswagen Beetle rolled off an assembly line into eternity in Puebla, Mexico last 2019, ending a 65-year production lifespan that makes it probably the most iconic car in the history of the automobile. A car so loved that even before production of the original Bug ended in 2003, it was already being celebrated via its modern 1998 replacement, VW’s ‘new Beetle’.
The Beetle was born in Germany in 1938 to humble circumstances, a simplistic two-door economy car with no hint of future fame. Dubbed as the “Peoples Car of Germany”, it was powered by a modest 25-horsepower, rear-mounted engine. The first production beetles were only capable of about 100 km/h (62 mph). Rather than giving it a proper name, Volkswagen merely designated it the “Type 1.”
It arrived at a dark time in history. The car’s parents helped engineer Germany’s tragic descent into war. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler formulated the first concept for the Beetle as a cheap mass-produced mode of transportation for Germany. VW’s engineering chief Ferdinand Porsche gave birth to the Beetle’s iconic shape and simple reliability that eventually ironically captured the hearts of millions around the world.
As Allied sympathy shifted toward rebuilding a pacified Germany, the British Army stepped in to order 20,000 of the cars around 1946. Within three years, the first exports were being built. By 1951, the plucky newcomer was motoring around 29 countries. The Type 1 soon embraced its playful nicknames like Ladybug in France and Bug or Beetle in America.
The US market was what made sales soar for the “Beetle”. In the 60s to the late 70s, US Culture embraced the Beetle as out of 21.5 million sold worldwide, 5million where sold in the US. Having won public affection, the Beetle gave birth to an entire line of rear-engine vehicles from the 1950 “Type 2” bus or Kombi, the preferred ride for hippies during the Summer of Love, to family cars in the late 1960s and 70s.
As the beloved car approached middle age, it opted for a makeover to touch-up aging lines as failing features needed a thorough upgrading. In 1998, the Bug declared itself the New Beetle, revealing a new “modern retro” look. It was a hit among Millenials and Boomers alike. More than 1.2 million cars in the updated design sold over the next decade or so. Ever eager to please the crowd, the latest beetle or bug unveiled its third, and final, makeover, in 2011 spurring more than 500,000 in additional sales until 2019.
Yet a Beetle rolling down the street is identifiable in any era. The silhouette hardly changed over 80 years even as its exterior and interior morphed to conform to the changing times. It even collected accolades along the way, starring in many roles in movies.
The Beetle was German in origin, but it chose to spend its glory days approaching retirement at one of Volkswagen’s largest factories in the country, Mexico.
The very last Beetle, a coupe outfitted in a gleaming coat of denim blue, was laid to rest on an open display for visitors, according to family members at the factory. Its final resting place is the local Volkswagen museum in Puebla, Mexico.