With Volkswagen announcing the close of probably the most popular car brand ever- Beetle, we have tried to share its 80-year-old slice of history to make our readers know deeply about this brand.
1930s
The car which we today see as a symbol of luxury was originally commissioned in the 1930s by Adolf Hitler as the “people’s car” because it was considered affordable and reliable. The Type 1 had a rear, air-cooled engine and was designed like an earlier Porsche car. Because of World War 2, civilian production was almost stopped, but some cars were built for military officers.
1946
After the war ended, the factory was under British control and by 1946, 10,000 cars were manufactured. In the next 10 years, one million Beetles got sold.
1959
In 1959, Julian Koenig and Helmut Krone created the iconic “Think small” ad for Volkswagen. “Maybe we got so big because we thought small,” the ad quoted. This ad became the best advertising campaign of the 20th century.
1968
The Type 1 model was officially named to Beetle and Disney released the first of six movies featuring an Herbie the Love Bug.
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1971
World saw the first premium model of Beetle known as the Super Beetle.
1972
In 1972, Beetle No. 15,007,034 rolled off the assembly line, surpassing the record of Ford Model T for four decades as the most-selling car in the world.
1998
After 60 years, Volkswagen gave the car its first major update and called it “New Beetle’. The car came with a 115-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine.
2018
With sales declining since 2013, Volkswagen announced the close of Beetle and to pay tribute to Beetle, Volkswagen will release two last models, the Final Edition SE and the Final Edition SEL. The company believes that Beetle will remain one of the most selling cars of all time, with 22.7 million vehicles sold across the globe as Hinrich J. Woebcken, president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, said in his announcement, “Never say never.”
