Eyes watered and tears flowed when Volkswagen announced that it wasn’t going to build a next-generation version of the Volkswagen Beetle. But fear not, fans of the beloved Bug. The current-generation model isn’t going away anytime soon. Volkswagen spokeswoman Jeannine Ginivan said as much to USA Today, quelling fears that the iconic model is on borrowed time.

It doesn’t soften the blow of knowing that a next-generation model isn’t arriving, but it is reassuring to know that Volkswagen still intends to keep selling the current-generation Volkswagen Beetle in the U.S. How long that’s going to be is anybody’s guess at this point, but for fans of the iconic ride, I’m pretty sure they’ll take their victories any way they can get them.

The recent sales trend of the Beetle does point to some concerns that even if it’s going to stick around, it might not be as long as people hope it’d be. Sales last year of the Beetle dropped to 15,166 units, a 3.2-percent decline from its previous numbers in 2016. It’s still a healthy sales total, but as more people become enraptured with crossovers and SUVs, not to mention hybrids and electric cars, the Beetle’s place in the party is becoming more tenuous. If sales continue to decline, then that could give incentive Volkswagen to pull the plug on the Bug in the coming years. Let’s all hope then that Ginivan’s assurance has some weight to it.

Ultimately, though, the Beetle is going to be what it is until Volkswagen decides that it’s not worth it to it sell anymore. When that time comes, and it will, it could be the last time we see one of the oldest and most popular models in the history of the auto industry. When that’s going to be is still unclear, but even with the reassurance that the car will still be around for a while, it's days really are numbered. The auto industry is still a business at its core. When the time comes that Volkswagen thinks that the Beetle isn’t profitable anymore, it won’t have any issues pulling its plug.

So, as we wait for that inevitable day to come, enjoy the Volkswagen Beetle for everything it is to the industry. Its legacy is in place, and there’s no amount of revisionist history that’s going to change that. If you want to be a part of that history in your own way, you can still score a Beetle for as low as $20,200 for the base Model S version and $26,790 for the top-of-the-line Dune unit.

References

Volkswagen Beetle

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