Bye bye, Beetle: Volkswagen's iconic bug bows out after 80 years in production

Its fortunes have been in decline since the 1970s, but one of history's most famous cars - and a key attraction at the UAE's Dub Drive - has had its final curtain call

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We've waved auf wiedersehen to the Volkswagen Beetle a few times in the past, but this week it appears this really is it - production has finally come to a close.

The iconic bug's Final Edition model, manufactured in Mexico's Puebla plant, has ceased.

As one of the most recognisable vehicles the world has ever seen, take a tour through the gallery above to see how the vehicle changed through the years.

Since its inception in 1938, Volkswagen and its subsidiaries have made and sold more than 20 million Beetles. Many of them have ended up as treasured possessions of UAE residents, and they always feature heavily at the annual Dub Drive GCC, customised or otherwise.

In a statement announcing the car's demise, Hinrich Woebcken, head of Volkswagen of America, said that as the company ramps up its electrification strategy, there are no plans to replace the icon.

Anyone who's ever been behind the wheel of one won't miss the driving experience. There will, however, be more than a few former 1960s hippies who'll be shedding a tear that this chapter in automotive history has come to a close.