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The Volkswagen Beetle is the most enduring and most manufactured model of vehicle in the world, with 21 million being produced since its launch in 1938. Although the Beetle is synonymous with chic style and sixties throwbacks, few people know that the model was initially commissioned by Adolf Hitler in 1933. Volkswagen literally means people's car in German, and the Beetle was to be the first mas produced Volkswagen vehicle. The car was seen as an affordable form of private vehicle ownership for the German market.
The Beetle was initially produced in 1938, but it would be a further fifteen years before the model was available for the UK market. In 1953 Jack Gilder became the UK representative for Volkswagen, acquiring the franchise. Throughout the next fourteen years the Volkswagen Beetle would remain largely unchanged, with Volkswagen Beetle sales increasing year on year not just in Britain, but also around the world.
In 1967 Volkswagen Beetle cars gained a major upgrade. Commonly known as the 'Super Beetle', the 1967 model is what would be regarded today as the classic Beetle, with a longer nose and larger windows. Although the Beetle was produced on an unprecedented scale, good quality used Volkswagen Beetles of this era are extremely rare and come with a price tag that reflects their ongoing popularity.
Minor improvements were made to the Beetle almost yearly, but Volkswagen Beetle car sales suffered greatly following stiff competition from emerging Asian competitors. By the end of 2003, annual production had fallen from a peak of 1.3 million in 1971 to just 30,000. Volkswagen therefore announced the end of the production of the Beetle, with the last ever car rolling off the production line in Mexico on 30th July 2003.
The Beetle is arguably the most recognizable car in the world, and sales prove that it was certainly among the most successful. Although a new Beetle model exists, the nostalgia of the original Volkswagen model can never be reproduced in quite the same way.