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VW May Replace Beetle Coupe with 4-Door EV

Volkswagen AG may replace the piston-powered Beetle coupe and convertible with an all-electric four-door model a few years from now, Autocar reports.
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Volkswagen AG may replace the piston-powered Beetle coupe and convertible with an all-electric four-door model a few years from now, Autocar reports.

The current Beetle is scheduled to end production in 2019. VW design chief Klaus Bischoff tells the British enthusiast magazine that a four-door model would be roomier and appeal to a broader market.

Bischoff notes that moving the Beetle to VW’s MEB electric-vehicle platform would result in a “very attractive car” with no compromises in functionality. An electric Beetle presumably would join the company’s “I.D.” lineup of EVs, which will debut in 2020 with a Golf-sized hatchback.

The concept version of the inaugural I.D. model is equipped with a 167-hp electric motor and a lithium ion battery that provides a driving range of at least 400 km (250 miles).

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