So I have been a Beetle enthusiast all my life. I just recently purchased a 2009 Green Volkswagen bug and love it. I remember very early in my life telling my mom how pretty the “buggy” was. Every year I would watch in awed admiration as the Beetle has slowly metamorphosized into the beautiful car it has subsequently become. I would wait anxiously on pins and needles, wondering what new features were to be added and what other features were to be scrapped. The most important thing I watched, however, was the bugs iconic design. It’s rich curves and bold architecture has always made a statement among the hundreds of droll vehicles that patrol our highways. I have had let-downs but never have I felt that the spirit of the Beetle was in danger… until recently.

As you probably can tell by both the title of this article and the deep admiration I have held for this car that I am upset with the recent changes made to the 2010 models. I watched in awed horror as I saw the cute car of yester-year be turned into yet another droll vehicle.

From this:

To this

As I look at these pictures yet again I find myself utterly disgusted. How dare Volkswagen change a vehicle linked so tightly to their name. No longer are the smooth curves of the old beetle present and instead Volkswagen has decided to conform to the generic lines on many other vehicles. This wouldn’t embitter me so much if they had decided to spend more time on this car, give it a unique look, and allow this to be another model of car separate from the Beetle. I don’t think the car looks particularly bad per-say and I think the cloud design is unique. However, THIS IS NOT THE BEETLE. I have a theory that Volkswagen simply wanted to get out a sportier, more expensive car and couple it with the name “Beetle” so that it will sell but I digress..

Another things that upsets me is that just a few weeks prior I read in a dealership that Volkswagen will never get rid of the Beetle. Sure, you can say that all you want but that is just an empty promise. Slap the name Beetle onto a car doesn’t make it a Beetle; you have to consider the many small details that have elevated the car to it’s historic grandeur. You are calling this bastard child a Beetle but it lost the mystique and heritage that has accompanied the car for so many years. Whatever happened to this promise Volkswagen?

..or perhaps you remember this?

This is what it comes down to. Volkswagen has changed the design to make it look different regardless of whether or not it works better. I find this hideous because I cherish and celebrate the bugs ancestry. You might not agree that the bug is ugly, you might not even agree that the pre-2010 bugs are pretty, but I think we all agree that Volkswagen broke it’s promise.

Sincerely,

     GreenSunshine