Contrary to earlier reports, Volkswagen will not be discontinuing the Beetle after the current generation reaches the end of its lifecycle. In fact, Volkswagen will do just the opposite, emphasizing the Beetle as a “lifestyle” product in markets such as the United States by bringing to market variants such as the Beetle Dune, Beetle Denim, and Beetle R-Line. But the good news doesn’t end there.
According to Volkswagen board member responsible for development, Dr. Heinz-Jakob Neusser, the next-generation Beetle will adopt the Volkswagen Group’s MQB platform.
The highly-modular MQB platform has been known to reduce vehicle weight and manufacturing costs while increasing manufacturing flexibility for Volkswagen. It originally launched in the seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf, and will serve as the basis for every Volkswagen Group vehicle with a front-wheel-drive/transverse engine configuration. That would essentially be every Volkswagen with the exception of the Phaeton and Touareg as well as some Audis such as the Q3, TT, and A3 family.
The next-gen MQB-based Volkswagen Beetle is expected to arrive in 2017 for the 2018 model year. Besides the traditional gasoline and diesel variants, the next-gen Beetle will also be joined by hybrid and fully-electric variants.
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