Bhubaneswar: Circa 2009, I remember getting an SMS from a friend that the bug had arrived here. I rushed to Volkswagen’s showroom direct from college only to find hundreds of amused and curious people taking photographs and going gaga over a bright yellow Volkswagen Beetle.
It was the talk of the town. After all, a small car with a price tag of Rs 20 lakh, that too in those days, was very uncommon. It wasn’t only the price, the design was so unconventional that it even those who didn’t have any interest in wheels fell in love with it. Adolf Hitler was the man behind its initial design. The original people’s car, it became afternoon trivia among car lovers.
When it was first introduced, the Beetle wasn’t a luxury car. Instead, it was one of most affordable cars in the market. In the 1960s, it became a landmark in design, as recognisable as the Coca-Cola bottle.
The reincarnation, however, came in a convertible version.
Now, Volkswagen has finally decided the pull the plug on the iconic car. The last one to be rolled out of the company’s plant in Mexico will be draped in Denim Blue and kept at Volkswagen’s local museum in Puebla as a lasting tribute.
Five million Beetles were sold in the United States and 21.5 million worldwide across 91 markets.
Car enthusiasts around the world are brimming with nostalgia. Here’s a video that shows the Beetle through the ages:
Goodbye, Bug.
