In this week’s post, we will be covering one of the most controversial cars in history. I am of course talking about the Volkswagen Beetle.
The Volkswagen Beetle was the brainchild of Adolf Hitler and the vision was brought to light with the help of Ferdinand Porsche. The Volkswagen Beetle was first manufactured in Wolfsburg, Germany and it first came off the assembly line in 1934. Hitler wanted this car to be for the people. By making this car so affordable and available to the people of Germany. It was one of his ways of uniting the German people around him because he was selling himself as a provider or giver in the eyes of his country. In fact, the German word “Volkswagen” literally translates to “people’s car” in English. Ferdinand Porsche designed, constructed, and distributed (sold) these Volkswagens under the direct supervision of Adolf Hitler himself.
The way Adolf Hitler was able to make this car so affordable was compact size. The Volkswagen Beetle was one of the first automobiles ever manufactured that had a small and compact size. Before the Beetle, most cars were longer and wider to make them more desirable to wealthier customers. Then the Volkswagen Beetle came to the market and automobiles were suddenly available for most, if not all of the working middle class. Its compact size meant that the car was lighter than most. That meant that manufacturers had to spend less money purchasing the materials to produce the car. This in turn made the car have a smaller price tag. Hitler knew that the cheaper it was to produce the car, the cheaper it would be for the German public.
This car made Hitler very popular not just because it was made available for all classes of German citizen (Obviously the definition of German citizen was outlined by Hitler during this time seeing as it was the beginning of World War 2), but because it also boasted some innovations that were never seen before the Volkswagen Beetle. This automobile was one of the first cars to have rear wheel drive and an engine that was mounted in the rear. The Volkswagen Beetle was also the first car to have independent suspension for all four wheels. With this many new aspects, the VW Beetle became one of the most innovative cars in automobile history.
This car was so popular, that the design for the Volkswagen Beetle has remained the same for the most part. The engine has evolved of course, but the design of the body, chassis, and independent four wheel drive is still seen on Volkswagen Beetles driving around today. The only major difference between now and when the fist Beetle rolled off the assembly line is that the engine was moved from the back of the car to the front of the car. Because the designs of the Volkswagen Beetle staying consistent for such a long period of time, there have been over 21 million VW Beetles manufactured since it was first introduced. This makes the Volkswagen Beetle one of the most produced cars in history.
Volkswagon Beetles are adorable cars. I, unfortunately, did not know that they were one of Hitler’s creations but we can just say that they were made by Ferdinand Porsche instead. I also did not know that it was one of the first cars to have suspension on each wheel independently. It was a nice refresher as I did know about rear-wheel drive and about how they changed the locations of the engine. If you want a good movie on VW Beetles you need to watch Herbie the Love Bug. Adorable movie and a nice car.
I have always admired the look of the Beetle but I was never aware of the background. I’m not sure I ever would’ve purchased one anyway but now I don’t think I ever will. Cars tend to have quite a weird history. I like your blogging topic and writing!
I had always heard that the Beetle was the car of the Nazi party, but I never realized Hitler literally literally designed the car. I always assumed that smaller cars were traditional in Europe because when I visited Europe literally every car I was was a little compact car, but it was interesting to learn that that the Beetle inspired the compact design.
It’s interesting to hear about the history of some of the most popular/unknown cars, so I really appreciate your post. Out of curiosity, is the car controversial because it was the “brainchild” of Adolf Hitler, or was there another element that made it a topic for discussion?