Volkswagen is apparently on a mission to cut costs, and one way is by axing slow-selling models from its line-up. Surprisingly, the effervescent Beetle is in its cross-hairs…
First on the chopping block, according to German’s Spiegel magazine, is the 3-door version of the Polo, which will reportedly cede its place to the 5-door version exclusively. According to Autonews Europe, sales of the 3-door hatchback has fallen considerably in recent years, even though the Polo was Europe’s No. 4 best-selling car last year, only trailing the VW Golf, Ford Fiesta and Renault Clio.
The cessation of that model alone will save VW about 200 million euros, putting it on its way towards reducing the brands’ costs by a targeted 5 billion euros by 2017.
The Polo isn’t the only one in danger, though. The Eos convertible, as we know, is not due to be replaced, but the future of the Beetle could be in jeopardy as well. The Beetle may be one of the company’s most iconic models, but is hardly its most successful in terms of sales. Will the venerable ‘bug’ be squashed? Only time will tell, stay tuned!
Source: Autonews Europe via Autoblog
