VW Beetles from other countries

Auto Motor Klassiek » History » VW Beetles from other countries
Purchasing classics there

The VW, so Volkswagen. The Beetle. Despite its unfortunate origins and insect-like pet name (after all, the 'Volkswagen' was an idea of ​​Hitler, an admirer of the also anti-Semitic Henry Ford and beetles are usually considered scary), the Volkswagen Beetle already had a mythical poetic cult value in the XNUMXs. VW Beetles were seen as a symbol of the revolution, for 'downsizing' and were ridden happily by flower children. At the time, De Kever stood for the 'small is beautiful' ethos as named by EF Schumacher.

VW Beetles, also a foreign success story

The VW Beetle was also the car that became part of Brazil's mobile and cultural growth. Production continued there until 1993. De Kever was called 'Fusca' there. The first VW Beetles in Brazil were simply assembled there, but from 1959 the cars were 100% 'made in Brazil'. The Beetle was a hit in Brazil and he remained the leader of the sales lists from 1954, through the swinging sixties and the troubled 1980s until XNUMX.

More than 50% market share

In 1967 the 'Fusca' market share was over 50%. More than 1972 copies were made in 250.000. The 'Fusca' was the most popular car in Brazil. And despite his idiosyncrasies and shortcomings, he has settled firmly in Brazil's collective memory.

Of course, no one had expected such a worldwide, long-lasting success of this brilliant piece of simplicity when the first Volkswagens rolled off the assembly line of the Wolfsburg plant after the end of WWII. The 'wonder with its engine in the back' grew and flourished due to the excellent marketing and production quality. In the late 'fifties' and early 'sixties' VW even marketed the Beetle as a 'cult model', as an 'anti car'. As a 34 horsepower workhorse in which it could get very hot, was uncomfortable and the switch was a challenge. With that approach, the Beetle became an anti-status symbol. So again to a status symbol.

VW Beetle success in the States

VW boss Heinz Nordhoff figured in the sixties that the future of the Beetle should lie in America. That is why Volkswagen founded 'Volkswagen of America' in 1968. The result was overwhelming, with 3.000.000 cars sold in the US over the next five years. In addition, movies like 'The Love Bug' and 'Herbie' helped boost sales of 'the ugly little family car everyone loved.'

Do not change anything that is right

As with the T Ford, which once inspired Hitler, VW hardly changed anything in the design until the last Beetle was released in Mexico in 2003. There in Mexico, until then, the production of VW Beetles for the Latin American market continued. But everything comes to an end.

Also read: The beetle. He lives happily ever after

Goodbye kiss

The kissing couple in the head photo was found in a Flemish thrift store. The license plate is no longer active.

The hopeless Beetle

The New Beetle proposed in 1998 has therefore not had a chance to succeed its predecessor.

Even more about the VW Beetle:
- VW Beetle 1303… Value and where the steering wheel is
- The VW Beetle from 1957-1964. The Dickholmer
- Rare: Beetle with cross coolers
- Volkswagen Beetle memories and Oettinger
- The Beetle 337. The first VW in the Netherlands.

REGISTER FOR FREE AND WE'LL SEND YOU OUR NEWSLETTER EVERY DAY WITH THE LATEST STORIES ABOUT CLASSIC CARS AND MOTORCYCLES

Select other newsletters if necessary

We won't send you spam! Read our privacy policy for more information.

If you like the article, please share it...

4 comments

  1. At one point things got mixed up a bit, when VW came up with the Super Beetle, that long Beetle 1303 with its struts and convex windshield, all of a sudden ordinary old-fashioned 1200s came from Mexico that even stunted at hardware stores at bargain prices. The VW dealers were not entirely happy with these import beetles, which partly had different technology on board. They were all orange-red.

  2. And don't forget TAS (Tvornica Automobila Sarajevo) in Bosnia (then Yugoslavia) where the VW Beetle 1200 J and 1300 J were built.

    • Correct! And certainly not! But we have the 'problem' that the very busy AMK site does not earn, but is a service model. We have much more space and time in a printed text in AMK. And with the money we have with AMK - do you already have a subscription? - we keep the site online. And then we hope that every day some visitors to the site subscribe to the magazine. That's a smart plan for us. However?

      • Yes I have a subscription though .. I am curious about the rest of the story. I recently shipped some parts to Croatia for a 1300 J. It has become very nice, first owner since 1970.

Give a reaction

The email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *

Maximum file size of upload: 8 MB. You can upload: afbeelding. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop files here