AUTOMOBILE
FEBRUARY 7, 2022
Why Was The Volkswagen Beetle Invented
Let’s take a look at why was the Volkswagen Beetle invented. This people’s car is so famous and its legacy will live forever.
The Volkswagen Beetle or Volkswagen Type 1 is a small car manufactured by the Volkswagen automobile company. Also known as VW Kodok in Indonesia or Bug in the United States or Käfer in Germany. VW Beetle is one of the most recognizable cars in the world, due to its distinctive shape, unique sound and reliability.
Volkswagen company (commonly abbreviated as VW) is an automotive manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. In German, “Volkswagen” means “people’s car”.
The VW Beetle history started with Adolf Hitler’s idea to make an affordable car for German workers. Ferdinand Porsche was sent to design this car and this car was later called by Adolf Hitler as the ‘people’s car’ (or volkswagen ).
Hitler required that this vehicle be capable of transporting two adults and three small children, at a speed of 100 km/h, and that its price did not exceed the price of a motorcycle plus the price of a sidecar at that time. When the first car delivered to him, it made Hitler became the first person to own a convertible VW Beetle.
When the World War II ended, VW factories were finally controlled by the British. A British soldier, Major Ivan Hirst was ordered to restore the factory. Thanks to Hirst, the British military force bought 20 thousand units. Production of the VW Beetle “Type 1” grew rapidly from year to year and by 1954 it had reached 1 million cars.
The VW Type 1 was introduced with rear engine placement, meaning the engine power can be directly transferred to the rear tires without the need for an axle. With fewer parts, lighter and more efficient.
It is because the Beetle is designed for passenger car then the engine was put behind. For cars that require power and are used to transport heavy goods, the engine design is in front. This is due to the basic physics theory that pulling the load is lighter (front engine) than pushing the load (rear engine).
In 1969, the Type 1 got the official name Beetle and that year the VW Beetle also became a movie star. The film is titled ‘Herbie the Love Bug’ and the model used is the 1963 Beetle with the racing model number 53.
In 1971, Volkswagen introduced a premium model known as the Super Beetle. This car has a new front suspension and more space.
The VW Beetle was produced from 1938 to 2003, although it was once stopped by World War II. Over this long span of time more than 21 million VW Beetle were built. By 1973, production had reached 16 million and the popularity of the car had spread to all corners of the world.
Unfortunately, Volkswagen had to end the long journey of this global people’s car. One of the reasons is because now the world community is starting to switch to bigger cars such as crossovers and SUVs.
In the January-August 2018 period, the Beetle only sold 11,151 units. This figure is down 2.2 percent compared to the same period in the previous year.
The German manufacturer decided to stop production of one of these iconic cars in 2019. However, it is known that many will miss the Beetle. The legacy of the VW Beetle will live forever in the heart of all automobile lovers.
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