Volkswagen Beetle News

  • 1960 Volkswagen EA97 prototype

    Check out the cars that Volkswagen developed to replace the Beetle but never made it to market.

  • Scene from Volkswagen Beetle animated short “The Last Mile”
    VW reminds us that the Beetle really is going away

    VW has released an animated short film to remind us that 2019 marks the end of the Beetle's long run.

  • Volkswagen e-Beetle
    VW Bug charges into the future with electric drivetrain

    The New Beetle is gone, but the automaker is giving new life to the old Beetle with an electric powertrain.

  • Final Volkswagen Beetle at Puebla, Mexico, assembly plant
    The bug's been squashed: VW builds its final Beetle

    It was in 1938 that the Volkswagen Type 1, more commonly referred to as the Beetle, or “Käfer” in its home market of Germany, first rolled off the line. Eight decades on and the nameplate has finally been retired. The last Beetle, a coupe finished in Denim Blue, rolled off the line...

  • Volkswagen New Beetle pickup conversion kit Photo: Smyth Performance
    Cutesy VW New Beetle truck conversion available for DIYers

    A company called Smyth Performance has a do-it-yourself conversion kit to turn a VW New Beetle into an especially cute ute.

  • 2019 Volkswagen Beetle Final Edition
    Slug bug is still a hit: The game outlasts the Volkswagen Beetle that inspired it

    The childhood game punch buggy is shadenfraude with wheels. It's unknown when the game started, but printed evidence goes back to 1964 and the game will outlast Volkswagen's iconic Beetle.

  • 1964 Volkswagen Beetle being sold for $1,000,000

    This car is a time-capsule. In 1964, Rudy Zvarich purchased a Volkswagen Beetle from the Gilbert and Seibel dealership in Vancouver, Washington. The plan was to use it as a backup for his 1957 Beetle. So Zvarich put the car into storage until the time came to use it. That never happened, and now 54 years later the essentially factory fresh Bug is for sale on Hemmings. The asking price? A cool million bucks. When it was removed from storage, the odometer clicked over from 22 miles to its present 23-mile count. Zvarich bought a back-up car because he didn't like the changes VW was making to the...

  • 1979 VW Beetle Polizei on Jay Leno's Garage
    Jay Leno cops a look at a 1979 VW Beetle police car

    The automotive guest on this episode of Jay Leno's Garage isn't about speed or performance. It's just fun. "I'm just laughing looking at it. It just makes me smile," Jay Leno exclaims about the 1979 Volkswagen Beetle German police car that pulls into his garage. Unless you're getting pulled over...

  • 2019 Volkswagen Beetle Final Edition
    2019 Volkswagen Beetle Final Edition marks end of cult hero

    It was in 1938 that the Volkswagen Type 1, more commonly referred to as the Beetle, or “Käfer” in its home market of Germany, first rolled off the line. Eight decades on and the nameplate is still with us, though sadly that won't be the case for long. VW revealed a Beetle Final...

  • Scene from "Bumblebee"
    The first trailer is out for Transformers spinoff “Bumblebee”

    Paramount Pictures on Tuesday released the first trailer for the new Transformers spinoff movie “Bumblebee.” Heading to cinemas this Christmas, the movie, as its name suggests, focuses on the Autobot character Bumblebee. It's set in the year 1987 and gives some backstory on what...

  • 2014 Volkswagen Beetle
    Volkswagen will kill the Beetle, squashes plans for a successor

    When the current-generation Volkswagen Beetle runs out its current lifecycle, it will be the end of the road for the nameplate. The German automaker confirmed plans for a next-generation Beetle are off the table and the car will exit production, according to an Autocar report published this...

  • 2016 Volkswagen Beetle TDI Convertible
    Next Volkswagen Beetle to be electric, rear-wheel drive?

    Should reported plans for a next-generation Volkswagen Beetle pan out, the iconic car will see a major transformation. On Friday, Autocar reported VW is actively considering a rear-wheel-drive, all-electric Beetle. The change would harken back to the original Beetle, which was rear-wheel drive with...

  • Volkswagen Golf R Heritage concept

    The aftermarket and modifying community has long had a love affair with Volkswagen vehicles, and it seems the German automaker is tapping into said love affair. VW this week revealed five new concept vehicles headed to the European Experience in Savannah, Georgia, which is on now and runs until May 21. The five concepts were designed with an effort to channel various facets of VW enthusiasts, ranging from the Beetle, Golf, and Jetta. That means a lot of lowered suspension, big wheels, and wider body kits. First up is the Volkswagen Beetle Post concept. The Beetle Post honors...

  • Volkswagen Beetle LSR
    Volkswagen Beetle LSR blows past 200 mph at Bonneville

    The Volkswagen Beetle is an icon. It's been around for decades and it's a beloved automobile the world over. It is not, however, a fast car by any means. Sure, there have been quick versions made, and some aftermarket companies have wrung out plenty of extra horsepower but the car was never a speed...

  • Rotary-powered 1966 Volkswagen Beetle on Jay Leno's Garage
    Jay Leno drives a rotary-powered Volkswagen Beetle

    You never know what's going to turn up at Jay Leno's Garage. Leno is a fan of Wankel rotary engines and has featured a couple on the show in vehicles like a Mazda Cosmo 110S and a modified 1973 RX-3. This time, though, he featured a rotary engine in something a bit more unorthodox. This 1966...

  • 1974 Volkswagen Beetle with 90 kilometers
    "New" 1974 VW Beetle sells for $43,000 at auction

    If ever there was a magic time machine ready to take you back to 1974, this Volkswagen Beetle with just 90 kilometers on its odometer is probably it. The little silver bug recently sold for an impressive €38,250, or just shy of $43,000, at an auction in Denmark. That's more than 10 times what...

  • 2016 Volkswagen Beetle Dune
    VW Beetle to get the axe after 2018?

    Volkswagen's Beetle may be slated for discontinuation, if a Tweet from a trusted source is to be believed. Autoline recently Tweeted: "Good bye Beetle. VW to axe its iconic car at end of 2018. Sales are slowing to a trickle and VW needs more CUVs." It's not clear where the information came from...

  • 2016 Volkswagen Beetle Dune, 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show
    2016 Volkswagen Beetle Gets Dune And Denim Special Editions

    Volkswagen used this week’s 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show to introduce a pair of Beetle special editions based on recent concept cars. The special editions are the Beetle Dune and Beetle Denim, and they’re due to go on sale next year. The more interesting of the two is the Beetle Dune. It...

  • Scott Speed and his Shark Week-themed 2015 Volkswagen Beetle Global Rallycross Championship car

    The 2015 Global Rallycross Championship gets underway May 31 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and one of the cars to watch out for will be the Shark Week-themed Beetle GRC of team Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross. Before you start thinking VW may have jumped the shark with its GRC efforts, recall that that the German automaker is one of the main sponsors of Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, so it’s entirely suitable that one its cars features such a livery. ALSO SEE: Official: Lamborghini SUV Confirmed, Sales To Start In 2018 Driving the Shark Week Beetle GRC will be Scott Speed, who last...

  • Herbie movie car auction
    Original Herbie Heads To Auction With Barrett-Jackson

    One of the original Herbie star cars is heading to auction, so if you're a fan of precocious movie Beetles now is the time to act. The car is set to cross the auction block at the upcoming Barrett-Jackson event in Palm Beach, Florida. It's a 1963 Volkswagen wearing a particularly familiar livery...

  • 2016 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen Alltrack Live Photos, 2015 New York Auto Show
    VW Beetle special edition concepts, Golf SportWagen Alltrack unveiled: Live photos

    On the eve of the 2015 New York Auto Show, Volkswagen has taken the wraps off four Beetle Special Edition concepts, and announced the production of the Golf SportWagen Alltrack. Golf SportWagen Alltrack Confirmed for production, Volkswagen has committed to produce the all-wheel-drive Golf...

  • 2015 Ram ProMaster
    Tanner Foust Tests The New VW Beetle Global Rallycross Car: Video

    If the thought of 0-60 mph in under two seconds—on dirt!—turbos spooling, rev limiters popping, and four-wheel powerslides don’t sound like fun, you’re not living right. Tanner Foust, however, surely is. This is his new Volkswagen Beetle Global Rallycross car. MUST SEE...

  • 2014 Volkswagen Beetle Global Rallycross Championship car
    2014 Volkswagen Beetle Global RallyCross Championship Car Revealed

    The 2014 Global RallyCross Championship got underway back in May and after the first two rounds it’s America’s Scott Speed, driving for the Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team, who sits at the top of the points ladder. The Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team, which also includes Tanner...

  • 2014 Volkswagen Beetle Global RallyCross car
    VW And Andretti Autosport To Field Beetle In Global RallyCross

    The Global RallyCross Championship is back for another year and one of the teams to watch in 2014 is newcomer Volkswagen, which has partnered with Andretti Autosport and will be fielding a new GRC racer based on its Beetle compact. The team has also managed to snag 2011 and 2012 GRC champion Tanner...

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