EOC WEEK 10- VOLKSWAGEN

Ten Facts About Volkswagen

The word “Volkswagen” means “people’s car”

In 1933, Adolf Hitler met with Ferdinand Porsche to discuss Hitler’s idea of a Volkswagen.

Politically, an affordable car such as the Volkswagen, was a strong platform for Hitler to win the public support that he desperately needed for his military adventures.

From the beginning VW tired to make a car that is simple enough so that the average people could afford it.

Special stamps were made by the government. They were sold to people and on theory if someone got 200 stamps they could immediately be changed with a KdF Wagen.

There were some main ideas that Porsche had to stick to while developing the VW:
-Max weight 650 kg
-Cruise speed of 100 km/h
-Air-cooled engine with 26 hp
-Fuel consumption 71 per 100km
-CHEAP PRICE

The first Volskwagen car was presented in 1938. It included all the features ordered by Hitler, the engine was placed at the rear of the car, and the shape of the car was quite specific – it was very round.

That was the reason why it got its nickname “Beetle”. An American reporter thought it looked like an insect, and so the “Beetle” was born.

By the end of the 1950s, the new interior of the beetle was designed so that there was the opportunity to build in a radio and speakers on the dashboard.

In the 1970, the other competitive branches got “too close on the Beetle’s wheels” by introducing new modern models. Volkswagen also developed a few new models like Karmann-Ghia and Volkswagen Transporter. The Beetle got reshaped, becoming wider and swollen. Even after getting a panoramic windscreen, the beetle was no competitor to the new Volkswagen creation.


In Mad Man, the men talked about the “Beetle” for 15 minutes. Discussing how small the car was and how ridiculous they were advertising. The ad just stated Lemon, implying that it was shaped as a lemon. Volkswagen just wanted to stimulate people’s mind and conversation. Based on results, Volkswagen successfully succeeded.
Also, there was a woman in that episode that drove a “Beetle”. She was a single, divorced, working mother driving the “people’s car”. Stereotypically, this woman is what Volkswagen wanted to target at.