This article appeared in The Economist, given the recent thread about the end of production in Mexico, I thought I'd pass it along. - DB
THE LAST LOVE BUG JULY 10TH 2003
Finally, it is the end of the (production) line for the Beetle
SOONER or later, it had to come: 21m cars on, the absolute, definitive, final curtain for the Volkswagen Beetle. The Mexico factory of the German car firm has announced that it is to produce the last love-bug later this month. A final, limited edition (retro paint, white tyres and all) comes out on July 10th.
This news may come as a surprise to the rest of the world which, after all, moved on from its fond embrace of the bone-shaking, ear-splitting "people's car" many decades ago. The last Beetle was produced in Europe in 1978. But in Mexico, the holy union between Beetle and people has never been broken. So popular was the VOCHO (as it is known locally) that at one time, says Volkswagen, it accounted for over a third of all cars sold in Mexico. Even today, there are still 80,000 VOCHO taxis on the streets of Mexico City. Add to that 90 or so VOCHO "collectors' clubs" and a magazine, VOCHOMANIA, for bug-lovers.
Cynics suggest that the popularity of the car was a testimony more to the dreadful state of Mexico's roads than to the enduring excellence and smooth gear-changing of the vehicle. Whereas in the rich world the Beetle achieved a more fleeting popularity as the transport of choice for the counter-culture, in a country such as Mexico it was the car's qualities of robustness and reliability that ensured its continuing appeal.
But even the Beetle has now succumbed to market forces. In recent years, production at the giant Volkswagen plant in Puebla, just outside Mexico City, has dwindled to a mere 53 a day. Since 1994 and the start of the North American Free-Trade Agreement, Mexican consumers have been taking full advantage of the greater choice in the car market. General Motors and Ford have been offering cars, for about the same price as a VOCHO, into which one can actually climb and have a civilised conversation over the sound of the engine. Their models also provide air-conditioning without having to take out the windows, and air-cooled engines without removing the back of the car. Even Volkswagen seems slightly perplexed by the longevity of its car, scarcely altered since the first production model of 1937.
As well as the Jetta model, the Puebla plant now produces the "New Beetle". But only 5,000 of these were sold in Mexico last year. Despite the name, Volkswagen says that this car is aimed at a different market from the VOCHO, and most are exported to Europe. The race is open to rear a new generation of Mexicans on a new car. And for the wrinklies who cannot bear to be parted from their bug, the good news is that Volkswagen has pledged to keep producing spare parts for the next ten years.
See this article with graphics and related items at