Volkswagen Polo 3-Door, Beetle On The Chopping Block: Report

Volkswagen’s compact Polo range could soon be scaled back and the new Beetle might be on the road to early retirement as the company works to find savings across a bloated global line-up.

According to German paper Der Spiegel, the hunt for cost-cutting opportunities has moved the carmaker to focus on an exclusively five-door design for the next-generation Polo, dropping the long-running three-door style.

The current Polo range also boasts a high-riding ‘CrossPolo’ model in overseas markets, but the ongoing popularity of SUV models may see that variant survive into the next generation.

Three-door variants of five-door hatches are traditionally a low-volume offering, and Volkswagen Australia has already dropped the option.

Another low-volume model in the Volkswagen range is the niche Beetle, now into its second generation since relaunching in 1997.