The Volkswagen Beetle is being discontinued - take a tour through the car's 80-year history
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Sep 14, 2018, 06:12 IST
Before WWII became really swung into action, VW was able to crank out just 700 1938 Beetles. However, during the war the new factory built to manufacture Beetles was severely damaged.
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Post-WWII in 1947, the first civilian models were sold.
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Beetles began reaching American shores for the first time in 1950.
In 1971 we met the Super Beetle. It had more power, some new motor internals, updated suspension in the front, and added storage room.
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VW stopped selling hard-top Beetles in America in 1976. Convertibles were sold up until 1979.
In 1998 the world met the New Beetle. Unlike classic Beetles, it was water-cooled, front-engined, and front-wheel-drive.
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In 2001, Europe got the Beetle RSi. A 221 horsepower, all-wheel-drive little beast. Only 250 were made.
After building over 21,000,000 Classic Beetles, production ended in Puebla, Mexico.
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In 2010, production ended for the New Beetle.
But in 2012, a new New Beetle came.
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Along with an open-top version in 2013.
In 2015 we saw the more aggressive looking Beetle Dune.
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By summer 2019, worldwide Beetle production will officially come to an end as Volkswagen looks to produce more crossovers, SUVs, and electric vehicles.