The German automaker marked the end of production of the iconic Beetle at its plant in Puebla, Mexico, on Wednesday and wasted no time talking about what will take its place: a compact sport utility vehicle likely to be called Tarek. It’ll be a beefed-up version of a model sold in China named Tharu. “We’ll adapt the Chinese model for this market,” Steffen Reiche, chief executive officer of VW’s Mexico business, said during an event at the Puebla plant. Trucks have been capturing a record share of the U.S. market, prompting automakers including Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV and Ford Motor Co. to drop many of the passenger car models from their lineups. Production of VW’s new compact SUV will begin at Puebla in 2020, with the model reaching U.S. dealerships in 2021.

Source: thestar July 11, 2019 01:49 UTC