Will Volkswagen ever bring back the iconic Beetle?

As Volkswagen’s most iconic car, we’re praying the Beetle gets a brand-new electric comeback.

What’s more iconic than a comeback?

We’re talking Robert Downey Jr bouncing back from his struggles to become Iron Man.

The Spice Girls reuniting for the 2012 Olympic closing ceremony.

The long-awaited Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot we’re all secretly excited about.

And car makers have definitely caught on to the hype. Look no further than the triumphant return of the Ford Capri, Renault 5, and Vauxhall Frontera (just to name a few).

These long-missed, much-loved cars have been brought back from the scrapyard.

And we’re praying the Volkswagen Beetle is next in line for a revival.

Just in time for an electric revolution that’s changing the face of motoring for good. Because when big changes are in full sway, it helps to have a little taste of the familiar doesn’t it?

With the 2030 deadline looming, what we’re looking for in a new car is already changing.

The question these days isn’t about whether to go with petrol, or brave electric.

It’s about confidence. It’s about trust.

Yes, exciting new Chinese brands are shaking things up and hitting major electric milestones. But for many of us, electric cars (EV’s) are still pretty new.

We’re at a crossroads: do we venture into the new phase of motoring with a completely unknown brand, or stick with the names we know and love?

Big players like Ford aren’t leaving it to chance.

They’ve sweetened the deal by bringing back an old name on a new car.

The Ford Capri – the OG anyway – is a known element. A cherished memory.

A trusted name.

And Ford have capitalised on that nostalgia to encourage brand-loyalty at a time when new players are waving some very tempting EV packages under our noses. 

We foresee many manufacturers following suit to kickstart their EV lineups.

But we’re not mad about it. Because if carmakers get it right (looking at you Renault), these comebacks promise a proper shake up.

The new world of EV’s doesn’t have to be just about SUVs. There’s room for small cars too.

And if you ask us, the Beetle is one of the best small cars in motoring history. 

A brief history of the original VW Beetle

It might’ve started out as Hitler’s vision for a cheap German family car, but the Beetle is about so much more than its grim origins.

The distinctive shape is undeniably iconic. Probably why the Beetle enjoyed the longest production period in history for any single generation of car.

Over a whopping 21.5 million were made – the most ever for any car of a single platform.

So how did the humble Beetle achieve such greatness?

It started out as the Volkswagen Type 1: a simple, inexpensive people’s car designed to serve Germany’s new road network. Ferdinand Porsche and his team started developing it in the 1930’s.

And while Porsche has historically had credit for creating the Beetle, we now know the fundamental design came from Bela Barenyi, an engineer from Austria-Hungary, as early as 1925.

Beating out Porsche’s design by years.

(Off-topic, but Barenyi played his own key role in the development of the motor industry we see today – but we’ll give him his due accolades another time).

Still, the Type 1 didn’t enter production until the close of the Second World War.

It hit the market with the characteristic rounded design we know and love today, an air-cooled, rear-mounted engine, and rear-wheel drive in a two-door body..

And while initially enjoying some success in Germany, it was slow to catch on elsewhere. British car manufacturers initially lacked interest in the Beetle, but when a British Army office reopened the VW factory, production escalated.

By the 1960s, the Wolfsburg facility was massive and VW sales made up 34.5% of the total West German automotive market. And it recorded its highest sales growth in the USA between 1960-65.

But the Beetle – finally given its name in this highly successful decade – soon started facing stiff competition.

The distinctive design was aging, and more contemporary models with fresher looks, front-engines, and front-wheel drive were becoming more popular.

While the Beetle lagged behind, VW modernised with a new generation of cars to keep up with the times, notably the Golf, the Passat, the Polo and the Scirocco.

By the 1980’s, the Beetle was selling its lowest ever number of units. Toyota and Hyundai in particular were outperforming VW, with their reputation for reliability and performance.

After decades of success, the Beetle was in trouble.

The New Beetle

The OG Beetle – beloved, retro, definitely humble – wasn’t cutting it anymore.

So, VW reinvented the wheel, as it were. And while it’s a brainwave that won’t get any props for originality, the revamped new Beetle stoked a fire that was in real danger of dying out.

VW kept the name and much of the design, but under the bonnet the new Beetle was a much more modern machine.

We’re talking front-wheel drive and a front engine, with luggage compartments in the rear. And it was based on the Golf IV’s PQ34 platform – a significant departure from the original.

But still with the beloved features like separate fenders, vestigial running boards, sloping headlamps and large round taillights. And let’s not forget that unmistakable high rounded roofline that defines the whole look.

Contemporary engineering with all the best bits of the Beetle’s iconic design – needless to say, it was a hit.

The New Beetle went into production in 1997, and stayed in the VW lineup until 2019. And what’s a 22-year run if not a slamming success?

But times change and, alas, so do sales figures.

Consumer demand has shifted in recent years in favour of stonking great SUVs.

From the elevated driving position, to the increased boot space, the appeal of the SUV is multi-faceted and completely different to what the Beetle offers.

Paired with the shift towards electric cars, you’ve got a perfect storm that saw Beetle sales declining once again.

Until finally, VW decided to pull the plug.

Volkswagen goes electric

While some exciting new Chinese brands have got a cutting edge on the EV market, VW is one of the big names fighting back.

Their ID range has been hugely successful. In fact, the ID.7 Tourer was our best-selling model in Q1 of 2025, beating out EV giants like Tesla and BYD.

Go VW!

But while we love the ID range – which includes everything from compact city cars, to practical tourers, to chunky SUVs – we reckon there’s a gap in VW’s current lineup for a different kind of EV.

Something retro. Something eye-catching.

Something, dare we say, Beetle-shaped.

VW have already reinvented it once – why not again, this time as a retro-styled EV?

After all, Ford and Renault have proven there’s a big appetite for familiar faves to come back with refreshed styling and a great big battery under the bonnet.

Alright, the Capri has been reimagined as a coupe-styled electric SUV, but the Renault 5 is very much in the spirit of the original. And to great critical acclaim, already winning car of the year for 2025.

VW have already tipped their toe into retro-inspired nostalgia with the ID Buzz. It’s a new name, on a new EV – but with nods to the design of the Volkswagen Type 2 that we can’t get enough of.

The Buzz is proof we’ve all got an appetite for the ghosts of VW-models long past. And we reckon the return of the Beetle is the next logical step.

Sadly, there’s no news yet of a revival.

But as more and more familiar names return to showrooms, we’re keeping our fingers crossed and our hopes high.