Volkswagen Bids Farewell To Iconic Beetle Nameplate As It Welcomes Electric Future
Few cars can live up to the cult status of the Volkswagen Beetle, but as all things must come to an end, the Germans announced the end of production of the iconic nameplate last year.
During this time, they celebrated it on multiple occasions, and the latest way of paying tribute to 'the people's car' is through an animated short film titled 'The Last Mile' that will debut during 'Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2020' on ABC.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKuYXNLGlOc
Made with the help of the Johannes Leonardo agency and with the soundtrack performed by the Pro Musica Youth Chorus, it portrays the story of a Beetle enthusiast, from childhood to elderly age, whose life was influenced by the presence of the Bug. The film features pop culture references and cameos from Andy Warhol and Kevin Bacon's character in 'Footloose' and has details inspired by past advertising campaigns.
(https://www.carscoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/vw-beetle-the-last-mile-campaign-6.jpg)
"The Beetle is easily one of the most recognizable cars in the history of automobiles", said VW brand marketing senior vice president, Saad Chehab. "Honoring it properly required a medium with just as much versatility and universal appeal as the car itself. While we chose the classic Beetle as the star of the animation, additional campaign components in Times Square honor the latter two generations of cars and their place and presence in American culture. We are proud of our past, but our eye is on the future – hence our choice of New Year's Eve to hint at our upcoming long-range EV and the 2020 Atlas Cross Sport."
VW will be utilizing billboards and digital spaces to hint at its future design language, including the new logo, during the New Year's Eve festivities in New York City's Times Square, where they will display different films and messages.
(https://www.carscoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/vw-beetle-the-last-mile-campaign-4.jpg)
Link: https://www.carscoops.com/2019/12/volkswagen-bids-farewell-to-iconic-beetle-nameplate-as-it-prepares-for-an-electric-future/
Always liked those little cars. Nice video, too. :ohyeah:
I liked my Beetle a lot. Maybe if VW pulled a Subaru and lifted it a bit with more rugged shocks/struts, made it AWD, and put some knobbier tires on it, it would sell here (like what the Crosstrek is to the Impreza).
Pic of my Beetle. Sold it a few years ago.
(https://i.postimg.cc/RhFgNjyJ/image.jpg)
Quote from: veeman on January 01, 2020, 10:33:38 PM
I liked my Beetle a lot. Maybe if VW pulled a Subaru and lifted it a bit with more rugged shocks/struts, made it AWD, and put some knobbier tires on it, it would sell here (like what the Crosstrek is to the Impreza).
There was a Dune Bug version with a mild lift, but it was still FWD.
Why are they burying the Beetle brand? Why couldn't they electrify it instead? MINI has no problem taking the Mini shape and stretching it onto midsize SUVs. They could make a Beetle full size SUV, a Thing truck, a Beetle four door sedan...
So what happens in the end exactly?
MINI, Corvette, Suburban, Land Cruiser, Mustang, 911? Lots of nameplates have lasted 50+ years with success.
All in all, VWAG is quite a bit of a mess.
Quote from: GoCougs on January 02, 2020, 05:06:54 PM
So what happens in the end exactly?
MINI, Corvette, Suburban, Land Cruiser, Mustang, 911? Lots of nameplates have lasted 50+ years with success.
All in all, VWAG is quite a bit of a mess.
Small 2-doors don't sell anymore, nevermind niche 2-doors. Mini and Fiat are now left to cover the tiny market.
Quote from: Rockraven on January 02, 2020, 06:18:27 PM
Small 2-doors don't sell anymore, nevermind niche 2-doors. Mini and Fiat are now left to cover the tiny market.
MINI does pretty brisk business with Countrymans, which aren't exactly mini. Fiat has the 500L. Why can't VWAG do a similar trick with the Beetle?
Quote from: Laconian on January 02, 2020, 08:56:33 PM
MINI does pretty brisk business with Countrymans, which aren't exactly mini. Fiat has the 500L. Why can't VWAG do a similar trick with the Beetle?
Mini's entire brand is built around neo-retro. While the original Beetle is iconic, VW abandoned it for decades in most markets. It arguably kicked off the neo-retro craze that subsequently saw cars like the PT Cruiser, Retro Bird, SSR, S197 Mustang, etc. Might be time to move on.
The 500 might not get a follow up generation
Mini sales are in a free fall, worldwide.