Colorful Volkswagen Beetle cars on Abbey Road, London. [Photo/IC]
With the last Beetle rolling off German carmaker Volkswagen's production line in Mexico on Wednesday, the hatchback's legend of more than 80 years has come to an end.
In its factory in Puebla, Mexico, Volkswagen held a ceremony to commemorate the shutdown of the current, third-generation Beetle and its last vehicle will be displayed at a local museum.
The carmaker plans to produce a new type of SUV in its original Beetle workshop and sell it in North America.
With a history that can be traced back to 1938, the Beetle, known for its unique design, has become a cultural icon worldwide.
Here are some glimpses of the history of the car.
In this March 12, 2012, file photo, a Volkswagen New Beetle car is lifted inside a delivery tower after the company's annual news conference in Wolfsburg, Germany. [Photo/IC]
A tree grows through the bumper of a Volkswagen Beetle near Fuldatal, Germany, Nov 6, 2009. The Beetle was the first car to cross the border after the Berlin Wall was opened. [Photo/IC]
In this Oct 31, 1999, file photo, Dick Darling, of the Manhattan borough of New York, portrays a "Y2K lightning bug" as he rollerblades in front of a 1974 Volkswagen Beetle named Y2K BUG during the annual Greenwich Village Halloween parade in New York. [Photo/IC]
In this June 12, 2002, file photo, a Volkswagen Beetle, known as Fusca in Brazil, painted in Brazilian colors on the eve of the Brazilian team's next match in the World Cup, drives down Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. [Photo/IC]
A Volkswagen Beetle drives along the road. [Photo/IC]
Workers at the Volkswagen factory in Emden, Germany, touch a Beetle on Jan 19, 1978. [Photo/IC]
In this Dec 18, 1977, file photo, a Volkswagen Beetle is unloaded at Emden harbor, Germany, as the first shipment of 1,600 Beetles made in Mexico arrives. [Photo/IC]
A swan sitting in the road next to a Volkswagen Beetle is seen in Borstahusen, Landskrona, Sweden, 1965. [Photo/IC]
