Continuing History of VW Beetles

In the landmark movie "Fog of War - 11 Lessons of Life of Robert Mc Namara" the then chairman of the Ford Motor Co recalled how he created a statistical analysis marketing department. As an example of its use he asked the "fellow" about VW Beetles in the US automotive marketplace. "Its an economy car that does low volumes" was the retort and of little significance and potential volumes for sale. Find out about it was Mr. Mc Namara's response. Amazingly the report came back "People with money - Doctors, Lawyers and Engineers are buying this thing". As a result Ford realized the market for a compact, economy vehicle and went on to develop the groundbreaking ( for its time and the US auto industry) Ford Falcon. The Ford Falcon was the chassis and powertrain on which the Ford Mustang was later ( quickly) built upon. Hence the influence and power of effect of the simple VW Beetle went far beyond its simple appearance.

The Beetle project was started in 1933 by Adolf Hitler when he became the German Chancellor. Once the design was finalized, the site for the factory was chosen near the village of Fallersleben. The foundation stone was ceremonially laid by Adolf Hitler in May 1938. He then announced that the car would be called the KdF-Wagen or the Strength through joy car. By 1939, the first part of the plant was finished. Due to the outbreak of World War II, only 630 Volkswagen were produced during this period. However, over 50,435 Kubelwagen's, the Volkswagen's military version, were produced. Hitler turned to Ferdinand Porsche, one of Germany's most renowned car designers at that time for the project.

One of the design team's problems was to develop a cheap, fairly quiet engine. When the war ended, the town came under British control and was renamed Wolfsburg. Wolfsburg then received visitors from the British Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. They were doing research on the German motor industry during the war and were obviously impressed by both the Volkswagen and the factory. Did the model have failings ? Yes indeed they did. First of all with the rear engine design the front end afforded little weight for crosswinds and protection as well in collisions above 30 miles an hour. With its air cooled ( as opposed to the standard water cooled radiator designs), engines Beetles engines were ultra reliable and always started in cold winter climates without being garaged. Canadians especially those in northern Manitoba,Ontario , Alberta and BC British Columbia loved them for that. Yet the failing - of the reverse of having no radiator meant no hot water and antifreeze for the in car heater. This was remedied in cold climates ( important for safety concerns for the windshield defroster and frosted icy windows ) with a gas heater. Still gas heaters used a lot of gasoline and were not cheap to operate.

In 1937, the VW was made a government-funded project. Hitler said that the car should look like a beetle to be streamlined. Early VWs were well known to their drivers having the auto battery under the driver's seat. Often the stench of the hydrogen sulfide gasses emanating from under the seat - from the charging battery would almost overcome the driver themselves. Once the car's design was settled, the German government started work on the factory. After the Second World War the VW plant was offered to both GM General Motors and even Ford as war reparations . The comment that always came back as a biting insult to the marketing intelligence and insight of the Ford Motor Company's patriarch Henry Ford was that an adviser had noted to him regarding the Volkswagen Beetle product "I would not give you a plugged nickle for it". Sadly ( for him and Ford" Henry Ford listened, agreed and payed heed to the consultant's sage advice. The simplicity of its design allowed it to be produced more cheaply than the other experimental engines under development. It was also Reimspiess who came up with the VW mark. Manufacturing was however interrupted due to World War II.

After the war, the town was renamed Wolfsburg. Production resumed and at least 7677 cars were built in 1946. Heinz Nordhoof became the General Manager in 1948. After the WW2 - a major earner of foreign currency to the West German economy was from the sale of Beetles overseas to North America - including Canada as well as the USA. Long before Toyota became a household name in the US and Canada the Beetle had made its record as the best ranking import car model and brand. By 1968, sales were highest at 423,008 cars sold. Plants were created from 1951 to 1964 in South Africa, Brazil, Australia and Mexico.

The Beetle beat out the record for a single car production of a given model - the previous record holder being the Ford Model T. Still it must be said that Ford benefited from the Beetle's production run and example. The Ford Falcon - America's first post War economy car was inspired by the VW Beetle's experiences and example in the US auto marketplace. The Ford Falcon ( known in other forms as Mercury Comet and the Ford Frontenac in the Canadian marketplace) was both a most profitable market niche product for Ford and also was the basis for the widely successful and profitable Ford Mustang Pony car. Indeed as a result of having the Falcon product on line , the Mustang was brought to the US auto market quickly and with a low purchase price. Few young Mustang owner's realized it but early Mustang models even sported the same dash and their parent's economy car - the little Ford Falcon. Amazingly by standards of 2011 this compact car - the Falcon or even the American Motors AMC cars the Ramblers - now look like large and substantial automobile products on roads and highways. Unfortunately, Heinz Nordoff died in 1968. The German government took over VW project in 1937, injecting. RM 50,000 (₤42,918) into the project. Hitler commented that the car should look like a beetle, to make it streamlined. Exhaustive tests were conducted and changes like introduction of a divided back window, increased output of the engine cooling fans, adding of running boards and one piece bonnet instead of two were made.

In 1972, the Beetle overtook the Model T Ford as the best-selling car in history. But VW made the same mistake as Ford by keeping the Beetle in production far too long. What made the VW different than US cars of the car was that there were little model changes year to year. The car basically remained similar - with improvement each year. On top of that most parts ( for the most part) were fairly interchangeable. This as in sharp contrast to new and "better" model strategy followed by the Detroit auto industry where new and radically different models ( with differing parts) were introduced on clockwork ( with fanfare) each and every falls September season. A replacement engine which was economical and reasonably quiet was needed. An Austrian newcomer named Franz Xavier Reimspiess developed a boxer motor with four-cylinders.

This rugged little car's charm has won the hearts of many, making it an all-time top-seller. The Beetle became the top-selling import that same year. Sales were phenomenal and in 1968 reached the highest at 423,008 cars sold. Manufacturing plants were created in South Africa, Brazil, Australia and Mexico from 1951 to 1964. More than twenty million Beetles have been made and more continue to be produced in Mexico and Brazil.

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