Should the VW Beetle Return—This Time as an EV?

• VW creates full-scale Beetle EV concept based on the animated car from Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir, The Movie, which features a whole lineup of electric VW models.

• The Beetle exited production as an internal combustion model in 2019, but rumors about its return as an EV had been around for years.

• VW is about the test the waters for retro-style vehicles with the scheduled arrival of the ID. Buzz in 2024.

The arrival of the Volkswagen ID. Buzz, now just a year away, is easily the longest-awaited EV from the automaker, having been revealed as a concept in 2017—a different era in more ways than we can count. For instance, way back then we were promised not only self-driving taxis by now, but also flying taxis. And Twitter was still called Twitter.

Keen observers of automotive fashion will remember that the retro Bus idea dates back even further, to the well-received 2001 Microbus concept, which wasn't intended as an EV at all, but was far more exciting visually than the Eurovan VW was still selling stateside. And it was also far more more cheerful than the later Chrysler-shared VW Routan minivan that followed.

The upcoming ID. Buzz certainly looked back at the 2001 concept for inspiration, but VW also tried to walk a fine line between making it retro and modern. The result is perhaps a 50/50 mix of modern and classic styling, designed to appeal equally to both demographics.

But could VW benefit from bringing back yet another classic as an EV, one that had already made one comeback in the 1990s?

The New Beetle, of course, featured the Golf A4 platform underneath, shared with quite a few other small VW Group cars. The general design itself of the retro-flavored New Beetle itself was a bit older, dating back to the J Mays-styled 1994 concept car dubbed the Concept One.

It had taken Wolfsburg a few years to make the New Beetle a reality, but it paid off handsomely with what was easily the biggest splash for VW in America in the 1990s. Bubble gum colors and trendy accessories helped sell the retro flavoring

When the convertible arrived a few years into the production run, it helped to squeeze the maximum number of sales out of the new model.