Can a company Kill the same model line twice in a decade?
Apparantly yes:

http://autos.aol.com/?adl=61204 &icid=main|htmlws-main-w|dl4|link4|http%3A%2F%2Fautos.aol.com%2F%3Fadl%3D61204+

VW has announced the end of the current rendition of the beetle.
The killed the VWoM beetle in 2003 so twice in one decade they kill the beetle.

Sad, but I guess the "newness" has worn off after 12 years.

Let's all take a momentfor passing of the beetle RIP 1938 - 2010 aged 72 yrs with major reconstructive surgery in 1998.

KC

Dang Scott !    Don't sugar coat it, Tell us how you really feel  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

Sorry Scott, they're not killing the New Beetle - simply redesigning it.

WOLFSBURG, Germany--The successor to the New Beetle will arrive in 2012 with more back-seat room and better packaging, said Stefan Jacoby, president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America.
Speaking at a media event here, he also said the next generation of the Beetle will be "more of a halo car" for the Volkswagen brand. And Jacoby said he expects the next Beetle to achieve higher sales. The current model peaked at 83,434 U.S. sales in 1999 and has plunged considerably since then.
"There is a great opportunity with the Beetle and the emotional fabric it has to offer," he said.
More space inside and better packaging are essential, Jacoby said. He said the major complaint he hears about the current car--aside from its age--concerns the cramped rear seat.
But the redesigned Beetle will not necessarily be bigger, Jacoby said.
Few changes have been made to the current Beetle since it debuted in 1998.
Walter de' Silva, head of design for the VW Group, said the design of the next Beetle "will be a big step."
VW sold 26,477 Beetles last year in the United States. Through September, sales fell 48 percent to 11,646.

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-10372933-48.html

Just goes to show you cannot believe everything you see.

It is funny that they could be so diametrically opposed in their reporting of the same event,

KC-out

Thats how VW keeps the competition confused. They have done that for years. :lol:

Old Beetle....

New Beetle....



I'll take the old one.  That's all i gotta say.   :wink:

It is funny that they could be so diametrically opposed in their reporting of the same event,

Different events, Jacoby was talking about the next-gen New Beetle back in October and the New Beetle Final Edition was unveiled this month at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Sorry, I thought we in the Club were ones that liked all VW's. Maybe someone who don't like them, should but a cheep-a## Mustang or something. That's why they make chocolate and vanilla ice cream, so people can have a choice.

Oh, I do like them all, and they do have a choice.  "Check Engine Light on or none present"   :wink:

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate them, and i can appreciate the benefit of my heated seats, but i was saying that i prefer the older ones.  


Turn wrenches on a New Beetle, see what you think.  I guess that putting a muffler on a new one is a bit easier than an air-cooled car, but that's about the only thing i can think of.  

The 2.5L engine in our New Beetle uses a timing chain, not a belt.