A US-made electric VW pickup truck could be on the horizon.
There are two iconic Volkswagen cars that stand out when it comes to iconic Volkswagen vehicles. GTI enthusiasts, we are referring to the Bus and Beetle. While hot hatchbacks can be fun, the iconic VW Beetle (and Microbus) are legendary namesplates that have been around for well over 50 years. The ID.Buzz is already an electrified bus, but what about your Beetle?
The Type 1 bug was in production for 65 years and produced over 21 million. The New Beetle was not as popular. In fact, the most recent A5 generation ended production in 2019. There have been rumors about a new, electric Beetle in the making. However, no further information has been revealed. This is still true today. However, rumors have a new life thanks to an interesting statement from VW’s top brass. Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA), Herbert Diess answered a question regarding bringing back the Beetle, with a very optimistic answer.
The microbus is our most memorable car. It was my first priority, to bring this iconic car back to life. Yes, other emotional cars can be built on the MEB platform.
Although it’s not a definitive statement, it does open the possibility of a Beetle revival. It’s clear that VW executives are considering it at the very least. The statement includes a mention of the MEB platform, which is consistent with the tone. Diess is not the first to talk about a possible EV Beetle revival. Similar statements were made in 2018, supporting the enduring rumors.
Reddit AMA saw Diess also make a casual good-natured comment on a question regarding an electric pickup truck that will be available for the US market. Although the VW CEO doesn’t want to reveal secrets during the question/answer session it is worth noting that Diess provided definitive yes/no answers to other questions such as Skoda coming to the States. The simple answer good idea about an EV pickup leaves the door open. This suggests, as it did with the Beetle EV, that the topic is being considered.
Volkswagen, like most major automakers, has strong electric ambitions. It remains to be seen if those ambitions include a reborn Beetle, or a new pickup. But the next few years will be very interesting.