Production Starts on The New Volkswagen Beetle

Production has started on the new Volkswagen Beetle in Puebla, Mexico. For the occasion, Dr. Guido Westerwelle, the Federal Foreign Minister, Felipe Calderon, the Mexican President, and Hubert Waltl, Board Member for Production and Logistics at the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand, visited the Volkswagen plant alongside 300 guests from politics and industry.

"The Beetle is a strong symbol of our brand. It combines the emotional heritage of the original Beetle with the future of Volkswagen," Hubert Waltl said. "At the same time, the new Beetle and the engine plant we are building in Silao represent the great confidence we place in Mexico as a manufacturing location. As one of the main manufacturers of compact class vehicles, Volkswagen de Mexico is a key building block in our growth strategy for North America."

The original Volkswagen Beetle sold nearly five million units between 1949 and 1981. The new Beetle followed this trend with 1.5 million units built in Puebla selling between 1997 and 2010. The latest Volkswagen Beetle model premiered in April of this year, and will be available in German dealers later this year.

The Puebla plant is Mexico's largest automobile factory and is one of Volkswagen Group's biggest vehicle manufacturing plants, supplying North and South America as well as Europe with the new Volkswagen Jetta. Volkswagen de Mexico is exclusively building the Volkswagen Beetle and Golf for worldwide markets.