Hitler and the
beetle
In 1945, a peculiar sort of car was delivered to England from its bomb-damaged German factory. This small, squat car known as the Volkswagen Beetle was put into plan by none other than Adolf Hitler. Hitler's desire was to create "the people's car," a practical autmobile that could be afforded by the majority of the people. After many hard efforts and much German labor, the car was tested and found to be durable, fast, and attractive. However, when World War II began in 1939, production came to a halt and the factory where the cars were built was bombed. When the war ended, Germans sprang back into action with Volkswagen sales in the United States and Europe. Although slow at first, the USA eventually came to embrace the car. (bytwerk.com) (vsvwa.freeservers.com
DESIGN
The Volkswagen Beetle (or "punchbuggy") was not admired for its new structure immediatley. A British manufacturer quoted, "it is too ugly and noisy..." The small shape was not desirable to the people of England, and the British did not buy any more of the cars after they purchased their first. The car was shiny with large round headlights and a rounded top. It looked very different from the Model-T Ford, which was what most people were accustomed to seeing. After the Beetle gained popularity in the USA, England then gave it another shot. (bbc.com)
Picture Sources: Unter dem Sonnenrad: Ein Buch von Kraft durch Freude (Berlin: Verlag der Deutschen Arbeitsfront, 1938), pp. 177-189.
By A.