Old Volkswagen cars "VW beetle" seized by the government in a junkyard outside of Mexico City. The VW Beetle was the longest-running and most-manufactured automobile of a single design platform anywhere in the world. Mexican production began in 1955 . VW announced the end of production in June 2003, citing decreasing demand, and the final original Type 1 VW Beetle rolled off the production line at Puebla, Mexico on 30 July 2003.