It could have been.
Volkswagen announced the end of the Beetle, after eight decades on the production line (if you include the new-generation Beetle). There is no direct replacement for this automotive legend, which has sold more than 21.5 millions units. This is a true success story. However, things may have been different in 1950 when the automaker began to look at replacements for the Beetle.
The brand’s first attempt to create a successor for the Beetle was with the so-called EA-47-12 proto. It was designed by Ghia, and it reminds us a lot of the Karmann Ghia. The engine was a 1.2-liter four cylinder boxer air-cooled, boxer-type engine of maximum power and 30 horsepower. It was mated with a fully-synchronized gearbox. This combination allowed for a top speed at 50 mph (80 km/h).
Perhaps even more fascinating was the EA48 project. It was created without Porsche input and did not share any common components with the Beetle. It was created from scratch using an FWD unibody and a 0.7-liter engine to power the front axle. The suspension featured a McPherson type. The top speed was 60 miles per hour (96 km/h).
Volkswagen explored the possibility of replacing the Beetle in the 1960s with a more luxurious and spacious vehicle. The EA128 prototype, which was built in 1963, could hold six people and was powered by a Porsche 911-sourced boxer engine of 2.0-liter. Six years later, the Germans created the FWD boxier hatchback concept, which was eventually known as the Golf in the United States.
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The company considered it the Beetle’s true ideological successor, and the first-generation VW Golf was its success. The automaker didn’t produce any of its previous ideas and projects because the Beetle was unique in that it offered a unique combination of values that could not be replicated.