"We are really shocked by the news that the production of Beetle has ended," said Ahmed Kabir Raju, a senior member of the Volkswagen Club of Bangladesh.

The last Volkswagen-licensed Beetle rolled off an assembly line in Mexico on Wednesday.

Raju told AFP that the members of the club had decided to stage a rally in Dhaka on Friday with the slogan "Beetle strives on in Bangladesh."

Organisers said at least 60 Beetles, mostly from the 1960s, would drive through Dhaka's main streets.

The first Beetles were produced in Germany in 1935, but since 1996, Mexico was the only country still producing the bug-shaped car which is known affectionately by its "Beetle" nickname.

In Bangladesh, the Beetle is more popularly known as the "Bang Gari" or Frog Car and "Kautchap" or Turtle.

Raju said there were about 200 Beetles in Bangladesh, of which more than 100 were in excellent condition.

"The objective of the club is to build confidence among owners and drivers as well as encouraging them to to preserve these classic cars which gives a positive image of Bangladesh both at home and abroad, despite poverty and intermittent... natural disasters," one organiser said.