Volkswagen has decided to end production of its famous Beetle.
The company’s American unit announced on Thursday that it would end global production of the third-generation bulbous bug in July next year after offering two special editions for sale.
The compact Beetle was introduced in Germany in 1938 during the Nazi era and came to the UK 11 years later, where it became a symbol of utilitarian transportation often used by hippies.
The last of the original bugs was produced in Puebla, Mexico, in 2003.
Volkswagen revived it in the UK in 1998 as a more modern “New Beetle”, but it attracted mainly female buyers.
The company revamped it for the 2012 model year in an effort to make it appeal to men, giving it a flatter roof, less bulbous shape, a bigger trunk and a navigation system.
Volkswagen said it has no immediate plans to revive the Beetle again, but the company would not rule it out.
