VW’s New Beetle Celebrates 10th Birthday

The new generation Beetle is celebrating its 10-year anniversary since it was first introduced in 1998. Originally unveiled as a design study car called “Concept 1” at the North American International Auto Show in 1994, the production New Beetle 3door and New Beetle Convertible have sold more than 500,000 units in the U.S. as of April 2008, while over 1 million units have been produced worldwide.

Not bad, but nowhere close to the 21,529,464 units its predecessor sold in the 50 or so years it remained in production. Still, if there’s one thing we like about the New Beetle, it's the car's contemporary design which remains as fresh –having received one minor facelift- as it was a decade ago. -Continued

“We are extremely proud to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the New Beetle, an iconic vehicle that has made a remarkable impact on automotive and pop culture history,” said Stefan Jacoby, President and CEO of Volkswagen of America, Inc. “The New Beetle is a true reflection of Volkswagen’s commitment to individuality, design and pure driving pleasure.”