Volkswagen is halting production of the last version of its Beetle model this week at its plant in Puebla, Mexico. It’s the end of the road for a vehicle that has symbolized many things over a history spanning the eight decades since 1938.
Conceived in the midst of Germany’s darkest hours, it would remain for the Nazis a never-realized prestige project. Rather it became a symbol of Germany’s postwar economic renaissance and rising middle-class prosperity. From there, an example of globalization, sold and recognized all over the world, including Bangladesh.
