Thanks To Flexible Platform, A New Beetle May Be In VW’s Future

Thanks to the MEB platform's flexibility, the folks at Volkswagen haven't ruled out bringing back the Beetle in two or three years. The platform can be adjusted for any electric vehicle. The I.D. series, VW's bread-and-butter EV's of the future, all feature this platform.

Over the next few years, Volkswagen will be placing its hopes on its MEB platform. Indeed, according to reports, the automaker will be using the platform for a wide variety of models. Flexibility is the beauty of the MEB platform; it can be longer or shorter, wider or thinner and it will still meet the automaker’s needs. In fact, it is so flexible that VW may bring back the Beetle for a new iteration. VW Beetle plans for the Beetle.

VW Pulls Plug On Current Beetle

Volkswagen announced recently that the current VW version of the long-lived two-door would be its last. However, with Volkswagen’s commitment to new electric vehicles (EVs), it won’t take too much to bring the iconic car back from automotive oblivion.

According to a recent report in Autocar, which sat down for an interview with VW design chief Klaus Bischoff, VW is thinking about bringing the Beetle back as an electric vehicle. “Our duty is to get the volume [I.D.] models underway,” Bishoff said in the Autocar interview.

“These cars have the super-complicated technology.” If you do “too much” with its technology it does become “an overload,” he continued. Once the I.D. vehicles are launched, he said, the automaker can move “into exotic cars and the field of emotion.” The “field of emotion” refers to cars that are not solely aimed at traditional transportation needs.

Early I.D. Vehicles To Be Transport

Early members of this family – the I.D. Hatch VW I.D. Hatch is the first of the new family. and the Another early I.D. Family member, the I.D. Crozz crossover, will be out in 2020. I.D. Crozz crossover – are slated to be everyday transportation. According to Autocar, these vehicles will be on sale by late 2019. The I.D. Buzz, on the other hand, is slated to go on sale in 2022. Looking back at the Microbus, the I.D. Buzz is slated to join the I.D. Family in 2022. It is a member of the “field of emotion”-style vehicles.

VW’s engineering effort lets the automaker have this sort of flexibility. The MEB platform is EV-ready for small and large vehicles. Bishoff told Autocar that he had already sketched a concept car that outlined the shape of Beetles to come. He indicated it would likely have rear-wheel-drive, a feature that the MEB platform can comfortably handle.

Please note that once the new generation of VW Beetles sells out, there will be a large hole in the carmaker’s lineup as the Beetle will be gone.

Replacement Is At Least 3 Years Away

Bishoff indicated to Autocar that it would take two to three years before one would see any key approvals come down from senior management (the folks who do this sort of thing). Until the managerial boards issue the permissions, there will be no Beetle. VW declined to comment.