You will need a translater to be able to read this German article

http://www.salzburg.com/sn/02/09/12/artikel/345657.html 

What it basically says is the beetle production in Mexico the only place producing the beetle will end in 2004 and the convertable will end in 2005

[Edited on 13-9-2002 by haugmichael]

I think you mean the old beetle and there are no old Beetle covertibles these days. The NB is sheduled to remain unchanged until 2010 so we should see it for a lot longer then 2005.
Sad to hear the end of the beetle but we have heard this rumour before. Lets just wait to see if its true this time.

Oh No, can it be true? After a mere 70 years? I think I'd better get another beer, this is dreadful news.

Read the article and the reason the beetle will halt production is because;
1. Mexico is bringing in strict polution controls for cars and the beetle doesn't comply.
2. The beetle waas once the cheapest car in Mechico but now for the same price you get a 4 door small car with all the mod cons
3. They have brought in a law to make all taxis 4 door because of robberies. It is easier to run away if you have a door rather than being trapped in the back seat.
4. Mexico builds VWs for the US market so will concentrate on those cars

Some interesting facts
- they are going to build the beetle as long as they can and the demand is there
- the price of a new beetle is 7000euros about $13,000
- 2000 they built 41,000 cars, 2001 39,000 aqnd this year only 22,000 predicted
- they are building the new cabrio there

hope this helps the non-krauts out there
Kurt

Sad, but then again, they were Never sold over here.... I See they are available in the UK.... LH or RH drive.. RH are 1,000 pounds more expensive.They also sell Brand New type 2's LH or RH drive... This is their webpage: http://www.beetles-uk.com  I haven't looked at it yet.:o

It's a pity they weren't sold here, so many people would still buy the classic look over the new if available I'm sure.

Here's an article on the Mexico VW production site (all about the new), looks very high tech.http://www.zeiss.de/us/imt/home.nsf/78be232b5368b1b2c12566fe003b2602/085346b2e6208456852569df005f8e6a?OpenDocument

Really I can't imagine a new classic style beetle causing too much polution, and they have so many old petrol guzzling American cars over there poluting the place, it's really bad.

http://www.conway.com/ssinsider/bbdeal/bd000117.htm

Don't know but it sounds like the US has a massive interest in the plant and for it producing the new beetle.

The Puebla plant was the first one to produce the new beetle, I didn't know that:o

Bugged Again: Quote "3. They have brought in a law to make all taxis 4 door because of robberies. It is easier to run away if you have a door rather than being trapped in the back seat."

You're saying the Mexican government is legislating to support people who rob cab drivers? LOL


I can accept that.

PS I think we ought to get together and apply some aussie ingenuity to redesign the flat four to meet modern emissions controls - if we can get 600HP out of a V8 on pump juice with a rev limit of 7500 and no "exotic materials," it ought to be a snack!

The flat four has already been redesigned many times over, its called a subaru motor. no doubt the beetle motor would be fairly similar if they kept redesigning it but they don't want to spend any development money on it.

It also must be remembered that the beetle sent VW to the brink of bankruptcy in the 70s because it couldn't compete with the oposition. if the golf wasn't a success there would't be a W company today.

So true. VW's last attempt at redesigning the Type 1 engine resulted in the Type 4 engine, as used in the 411, Porsche 914 and of course the Kombi. Lots of lovely improvements, but the passage of time made it obsolete too. It was replaced by VW's next redesign effort, the Wasserboxer. It was based on a Type 1 case, not a Type 4 (which I reckon they SHOULD have used). It was phased out in 1992 when the conventionally-engined T4 Transporter was introduced.

Subarus are the closest we'll get to modern flat four VW engines. I still wish that VW would buy Subaru to make it part of the family, instead of wanking around with Bentley and Bugatti and Lamborghini.

I will try to find out what happened with the Brazilian operation - Beetle production ended there in the early '90s but was resurrected a couple of years later, such was the demand. Last I heard it was still going - can anyone shed any light?

http://www.detnews.com/2002/autosinsider/0210/05/autos-604821.htm

Had messed up the link and lost the lot in the editing, even when I previewed before editing

Sad news A more character being lost in the world

How green is the taxi???:o

Look across the road, nice colour

[Edited on 10-10-2002 by jenz58]