VW rules out new Beetle, working on $30k ID.1

Volkswagen has ruled out the return of an electric Beetle, but is committed to the cut-price $30,000 ID.1 hatchback.

Volkswagen chief executive Thomas Schäfer told Autocar [↗] that “there are certain vehicles that have had their day” and it “wouldn't make sense to bring [the Beetle] back.”

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“I wouldn't say with 100 per cent [certainty]. But from where I stand now, I wouldn't consider it,” Schäfer said.

“It's the same as Scirocco… And going forward with balancing all these technologies and the cost that is associated with it, you've got to invest money in the best possible place."

The CEO added a model must have been significant globally in order to qualify for an electric revival, such as the Golf and Tiguan.

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ID.2all concept pictured

Schäfer’s comments addressed renewed speculation last week that the iconic Beetle would make an electric comeback, with a concept headlining the upcoming children’s animation Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir – The Movie.

Meanwhile, Volkswagen Group chief financial officer Arno Antlitz confirmed to Autocar [↗] that it is “quite confident” to achieve a circa-AU$32,000 (GB£17,000) for the ID.1 electric hatch.

Antlitz pointed to it using its first in-house developed battery from Spain, lowering raw material market costs, and a new yet-to-be-revealed platform that would be ‘distinct’ from the Modular Electric Toolkit Entry (MEB Entry) architecture to be used in the ID.2 small car.

The Volkswagen ID.1 will be the spiritual successor to the E-Up micro city car sold overseas, but will likely follow after the ID.2 due in 2025.

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A battery-powered Volkswagen Beetle may be on the cards, with the company’s CEO suggesting the iconic model could adopt an all-electric powertrain.

Volkswagen boss Herbert Diess was taking part in a Q&A session on Chinese social media platform Weibo last month when he confirmed the German car giant was considering bringing back the Beetle with electric power.

“I am very excited about the launch of the ID Buzz and, from this experience, learn how we can bring our traditional and emotional world to the electric vehicle sector, thinking of the Beetle,” Diess said, according to a report from Spanish news website Hybrids and Electrics.

It’s not the first time Diess has hinted at such a model, telling UK magazine Autocar in late 2017: “If we wanted to do a Beetle, electrically it would be much better than [the last Beetle] model, much closer to history, because it could be rear-wheel drive”.

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An artist's take on a possible new electric Beetle. Image: KDesign AG.

In July 2020, Volkswagen also registered the trademarks e-Karmann, e-Kübel, e-Golf Classic, and e-Beetle with the European Union.

These digital renderings created by artist Kleber Silva imagine what a new e-Beetle could look like in the coming years.

But it appears Volkswagen might have been beaten to the punch, with China’s Ora brand set to release the electric Ballet Cat and Punk Cat next month, sharing a striking similarity to the original Beetle.