Volkswagen is a German automaker whose headquarters are in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony.
Austrian Ferdinand Porsche was a well-known designer for high-end vehicles and race cars. In 1934 Adolf Hitler asked his fellow Austrian to dream up a basic vehicle able to transport two adults and three children. The car needed to be able to travel at least 100 km/h, or about 60 mph, and use no more than 7 liters of gasoline for 100 kilometers (about 40 mpg). It would be available to citizens of the Third Reich through a savings plan at 990 Reichsmark ($396 in 1930s U.S. dollars).
Volkswagen ("people's car" in German) was established on May 28, 1937 by the German Labour Front (Deutsche Arbeitsfront) in Berlin.
The result was the Volkswagen Beetle, which was designed by Ferdinand Porsche and a team of engineers. A handful were made, but by the time the Wolfsburg factory was finished in 1938, World War II was starting and the company concentrated on making military vehicles instead.
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HISTORY
Austrian Ferdinand Porsche was a well-known designer for high-end vehicles and race cars. In 1934 Adolf Hitler asked his fellow Austrian to dream up a basic vehicle able to transport two adults and three children. The car needed to be able to travel at least 100 km/h, or about 60 mph, and use no more than 7 liters of gasoline for 100 kilometers (about 40 mpg). It would be available to citizens of the Third Reich through a savings plan at 990 Reichsmark ($396 in 1930s U.S. dollars).
Volkswagen ("people's car" in German) was established on May 28, 1937 by the German Labour Front (Deutsche Arbeitsfront) in Berlin.
The result was the Volkswagen Beetle, which was designed by Ferdinand Porsche and a team of engineers. A handful were made, but by the time the Wolfsburg factory was finished in 1938, World War II was starting and the company concentrated on making military vehicles instead.
Volkswagen was sued by the Czechoslovakian car maker Tatra before World War II because the original Beetle was so similar to the Tatra 97. Porsche was willing to settle but Hitler cancelled their proposals saying he would "would settle the matter." After Germany invaded Czechoslovakia, T97 production was stopped. After the Second World War Tatra resumed its lawsuit. In 1965 Volkswagen settled it by paying Tatra 1,000,000 DM in compensation
During World War II, a bomb landed, but didn't explode, inside the German Volkswagen factory. If it had exploded, the post-war Beetles that we commonly see would have never existed.
Mass production of the Volkswagen Beetle did not actually begin in Germany until after the war in 1945 when the United Kingdom army reopened the Wolfsburg factory.
Originally known as the Volkswagen Type 1, the car’s curves and rounded top led to its being nicknamed the 'Bug.' Volkswagen themselves started referring to the car as the VW Beetle in the late 1960s.
Americans shunned the Beetle when it was introduced in the States in 1949: Only two were sold in the first year. But after that, sales grew quickly. After six years of selling cars in the United States, the German automaker founded Volkswagen of America in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey in 1955 to standardize its dealer and service network. By the 1960s, Beetlemania had taken off as hundreds of thousands of Bugs were sold every year, topping out at 570,000 in 1970.
During World War II, a bomb landed, but didn't explode, inside the German Volkswagen factory. If it had exploded, the post-war Beetles that we commonly see would have never existed.
Mass production of the Volkswagen Beetle did not actually begin in Germany until after the war in 1945 when the United Kingdom army reopened the Wolfsburg factory.
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| 1949 Volkswagen "split rear window" Sedan |
Originally known as the Volkswagen Type 1, the car’s curves and rounded top led to its being nicknamed the 'Bug.' Volkswagen themselves started referring to the car as the VW Beetle in the late 1960s.
Americans shunned the Beetle when it was introduced in the States in 1949: Only two were sold in the first year. But after that, sales grew quickly. After six years of selling cars in the United States, the German automaker founded Volkswagen of America in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey in 1955 to standardize its dealer and service network. By the 1960s, Beetlemania had taken off as hundreds of thousands of Bugs were sold every year, topping out at 570,000 in 1970.
Iin 1963 a VW Beetle donated by the manufacturer became the first car in the Antarctic. It proved so good for Antarctic use, being able to withstand temperatures below -50°C and winds above 150 km/h, that it was nicknamed "Red Terror" by the users.
By February 17, 1972, more than 15 million Volkswagen Beetle cars had been sold exceeding those of the Ford Model-T making it the world's most popular model.
The original Volkswagen Beetle would temporarily float on water because of a sealed steel bottom with nothing exposed beneath it. Volkswagen even created a 1972 TV ad which demonstrated its ability to float.
The last Volkswagen Beetle made in Germany left Volkswagen 's plant in Emden in 1978. Beetle production in Latin America continues until 2003.
Volkswagen presented the first-generation Golf in May 1974 as a modern front-wheel-drive, long-range replacement for the Volkswagen Beetle.
The Volkswagen Golf GTI debuted in 1976 a couple of years after the Golf was launched. With a souped-up engine and go-faster stripes, it became the car of choice for teens, who were soon "pimping" their rides with under-lighting and racing seats. It spawned a generation of imitators, from the Fiat Uno Turbo to the Suzuki Swift Sport.
Historically, the Golf is Volkswagen's best-selling model and is among the world's top three best-selling models, with more than 30 million built by June 2013.
When the small sedan segment started to grow in the United States at the end of the 1970s, Volkswagen realized that the hatchback body style lacked some of the appeal to those who preferred the traditional three-box configuration. Their solution was to borrow the Golf's platform, slap on a trunk, and offer it as both a coupe and a four-door sedan. The result was the 1981 MK1 Jetta, which, like its hatch sibling, was designed by Girogetto Giugiaro.
The classic Volkswagen Beetle was produced in Mexico from 1955 where it was used as a taxi. The last 'old style' Volkswagen Beetle rolled off the assembly line in Mexico in 2003. The Mexican government effectively ended the Beetle's production because street gangs would often raid two-door cars as the passenger in the back couldn't escape.
By February 17, 1972, more than 15 million Volkswagen Beetle cars had been sold exceeding those of the Ford Model-T making it the world's most popular model.
The original Volkswagen Beetle would temporarily float on water because of a sealed steel bottom with nothing exposed beneath it. Volkswagen even created a 1972 TV ad which demonstrated its ability to float.
The last Volkswagen Beetle made in Germany left Volkswagen 's plant in Emden in 1978. Beetle production in Latin America continues until 2003.
Volkswagen presented the first-generation Golf in May 1974 as a modern front-wheel-drive, long-range replacement for the Volkswagen Beetle.
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| Volkswagen Golf 3-door (Europe)By Rudolf Stricker - Own work, |
The Volkswagen Golf GTI debuted in 1976 a couple of years after the Golf was launched. With a souped-up engine and go-faster stripes, it became the car of choice for teens, who were soon "pimping" their rides with under-lighting and racing seats. It spawned a generation of imitators, from the Fiat Uno Turbo to the Suzuki Swift Sport.
Historically, the Golf is Volkswagen's best-selling model and is among the world's top three best-selling models, with more than 30 million built by June 2013.
When the small sedan segment started to grow in the United States at the end of the 1970s, Volkswagen realized that the hatchback body style lacked some of the appeal to those who preferred the traditional three-box configuration. Their solution was to borrow the Golf's platform, slap on a trunk, and offer it as both a coupe and a four-door sedan. The result was the 1981 MK1 Jetta, which, like its hatch sibling, was designed by Girogetto Giugiaro.
The classic Volkswagen Beetle was produced in Mexico from 1955 where it was used as a taxi. The last 'old style' Volkswagen Beetle rolled off the assembly line in Mexico in 2003. The Mexican government effectively ended the Beetle's production because street gangs would often raid two-door cars as the passenger in the back couldn't escape.
The last original Beetle, #21,529,464 was assembled and immediately retired on July 31, 2003, in Puebla, Mexico, at the Volkswagen de Mexico manufacturing plant. It can now be found at Volkswagen's AutoMuseum.
The Type 1 Beetle was in production between 1938 and 2003, a whopping 65 years, the longest a vehicle has been produced in history.
The Type 1 Beetle was in production between 1938 and 2003, a whopping 65 years, the longest a vehicle has been produced in history.
In 1998 Volkswagen introduced the "New Beetle", built on the contemporary Golf platform with styling recalling the original Type 1. It was succeeded in 2011 by the Beetle (A5), the last variant of the Beetle. Production ceased altogether by 2019.
In September 2015, Volkswagen admitted to illegally using installed software to change emissions test results for 11 million of its diesel engine cars sold between 2009 and 2015. This resulted in engines passing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards and having vehicles emitting up to 40 times the legal limit of nitrogen oxides. It also brought into question whether VW diesel engines were actually cleaner for the environment than regular gasoline engines.
FUN VOLKSWAGEN FACTS
Between 1973 and 1975 Volkswagen produced the Jeans Beetle, which had all-denim trim.
Children's TV presenter Peter Duncan attempted to ‘drive' over the Irish Sea in an amphibious Volkswagen Beetle for his new show Duncan Dares on March 9, 1985, but broke down and was towed to safety.
The record number of people crammed into a 1998 Volkswagen Bug and still able to close all doors is 18. They were college students.
Volkswagen owns Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, SEAT, Skoda, Ducati, MAN, and Scania.
Volkswagen was the world's largest automaker by worldwide sales in 2016 and 2017. The group's main market is in China, which delivers 40% of its sales and profits.
Sources, The Independent, Autoguide, MentalFloss
Children's TV presenter Peter Duncan attempted to ‘drive' over the Irish Sea in an amphibious Volkswagen Beetle for his new show Duncan Dares on March 9, 1985, but broke down and was towed to safety.
The record number of people crammed into a 1998 Volkswagen Bug and still able to close all doors is 18. They were college students.
Volkswagen owns Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, SEAT, Skoda, Ducati, MAN, and Scania.
Volkswagen was the world's largest automaker by worldwide sales in 2016 and 2017. The group's main market is in China, which delivers 40% of its sales and profits.
Sources, The Independent, Autoguide, MentalFloss
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