Volkswagen Bids Farewell To Iconic Beetle Nameplate As It Welcomes EV Future

Started by cawimmer430, January 01, 2020, 05:24:28 AM

cawimmer430

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.




"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.





Link: https://www.carscoops.com/2019/12/volkswagen-bids-farewell-to-iconic-beetle-nameplate-as-it-prepares-for-an-electric-future/
-2018 Mercedes-Benz A250 AMG Line (W177)



WIMMER FOTOGRAFIE - Professional Automotive Photography based in Munich, Germany
www.wimmerfotografie.de
www.facebook.com/wimmerfotografie

shp4man


veeman

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).

shp4man


Soup DeVille

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.
Maybe we need to start off small. I mean, they don't let you fuck the glumpers at Glumpees without a level 4 FuckPass, do they?

1975 Honda CB750, 1986 Rebel Rascal (sailing dinghy), 2015 Mini Cooper, 2020 Winnebago 31H (E450), 2021 Toyota 4Runner, 2022 Lincoln Aviator

Laconian

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...
Kia EV6 GT-Line / MX-5 RF 6MT

GoCougs

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.

Payman

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.

Laconian

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?
Kia EV6 GT-Line / MX-5 RF 6MT

MX793

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.
Needs more Jiggawatts

2016 Ford Mustang GTPP / 2011 Toyota Rav4 Base AWD / 2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 ABS
1992 Nissan 240SX Fastback / 2004 Mazda Mazda3s / 2011 Ford Mustang V6 Premium / 2007 Suzuki GSF1250SA Bandit / 2006 VW Jetta 2.5

2o6

The 500 might not get a follow up generation


Mini sales are in a free fall, worldwide.