Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Saying a final goodbye to its iconic Beetle, Volkswagen on Tuesday released a new television commercial for the discontinued model celebrating its role in American culture.
The 90-second spot, entitled The Last Mile, is an animation set to air on New Year's Eve on ABC and CNN, along with showings during New Year's Day college football games.
Volkswagen announced last year that it would discontinue the familiar Beetle compact model at the end of 2019 in favor of producing new electric vehicles.
To mark the end of its last official year of production, the animated piece is an emotional, wordless tribute to the Beetle, featuring a montage of images backed by a version of The Beatles' song Let It Be.
The story generally follows the journey through life of a male character, first shown as a child whose father buys a Beetle in the early 1960s, and finishes with him today as an elderly man. The time frame mirrors the 60-year span of the model's popularity in the U.S. market.
Several cameos from celebrities associated with the Beetle are included, such as artist Andy Warhol, who featured the car's ads in his artwork, and actor Kevin Bacon, whose character in the movie Footloose drove a Beetle.
