New Beetle goes into production

VW announced with great enthusiasm that the production of the new VW Beetle has begun at its plant in Puebla, Mexico. To mark 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 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 debuted in April of this year, and will be available in German dealerships later this year before coming to the UK in the first part of 2012. Used Volkswagen Middlesex garages are preparing for an influx of the first generation Beetle as people bring their old models in to trade in for the new model. Hubert Waltl, while at the ceremony said, "The Beetle is a strong symbol of our brand. It combines the emotional heritage of the original Beetle with the future of Volkswagen. 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 Puebla car 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.