Volkswagen recently confirmed that the current VW Beetle will eventually disappear since it isn’t working on a next generation model, but there’s still hope for Beetle fans. While the current Beetle will likely disappear in a few years, it could eventually be reborn as a four-door electric car.
VW hasn’t made any decisions yet, but there’s a chance that a new Beetle could use the brand’s new MEB platform, which is the basis for all of its future electric cars, including the Microbus inspired I.D. Buzz. VW design boss Klaus Bischoff revealed to Autocar that there is a chance that the Beetle could not only come back as an electric car, but that if it does, it will move away from being a niche car and adopt a four door layout.
“The Beetle of today is a very attractive two-door coupé or convertible, but it is limited in the amount of cars that it can sell because it’s a niche,” Bischoff stated. “If you look at MEB, the shortest wheelbase [possible] is the ID [hatchback]. If you took that and did the Beetle on it, you have plenty of room so there’s no compromise in functionality any more. So it could be a very attractive car.”
Bischoff also revealed that he’s already made a sketch of how a new four-door Beetle would look if it used the MEB platform, but it could be a few years until VW makes a decision. Given the fact that VW boss Herbert Diess wants to add more emotional cars to its lineup, there’s a good chance that it will happen. Diess has even hinted at the idea in the past, “If we wanted to do a Beetle EV, it would be much better than today’s model, much closer to history, because it could be rear-wheel drive.”
Source: Autocar