Words by Nick Bassett.
The end of an era last month, as the last Volkswagen Beetle was driven off of the production line in Puebla, Mexico. After roughly eight decades of production and three generations of designs, Volkswagen has retired its iconic Beetle for good.
It was originally designed by Ferdinand Porsche to answer Adolf Hitler’s call for a “people’s car,” or a “volks wagen” in German.
In May 1934, at a meeting at Berlin’s Kaiserhof Hotel, Chancellor Hitler insisted on a basic vehicle that could transport two adults and three children at 100 km/h (62 mph) while not using more than 7 litres of fuel per 100 km (32 mpg US/39 mpg UK). The engine was to be powerful enough for sustained cruising on Germany’s new Autobahnen. Everything had to be designed to ensure parts could be quickly and inexpensively exchanged. The engine – air-cooled – because not every country doctor had his own garage, so the car would be stored outside and anti-freeze at this time was not common in water-cooled engines.
On May 26, 1938, Hitler laid the cornerstone for the Volkswagen factory in Fallersleben. He gave a speech, in which he named the car Kraft-durch-Freude-Wagen (“Strength Through Joy Car”, usually abbreviated to KdF-Wagen).
A handful of KdF-Wagens were produced, primarily for the Nazi elite, from 1941 to 1944. The war put a halt to production. The Volkswagen factory was handed over by the Americans to British control in 1945; it was to be dismantled and shipped to Britain.
However, no British car manufacturer was interested in the factory; an official report included the phrases “the vehicle does not meet the fundamental technical requirement of a motor-car… it is quite unattractive to the average buyer… To build the car commercially would be a completely uneconomic enterprise.”
The re-opening of the factory is largely accredited to British Army officer Major Ivan Hirst. Hirst was ordered to take control of the heavily bombed factory, which the Americans had captured. His first task was to remove an unexploded bomb that had fallen through the roof and lodged itself between some pieces of irreplaceable production equipment; if the bomb had exploded, the Beetle’s fate would have been sealed.
Knowing Germany needed jobs and the British Army needed vehicles, Hirst persuaded the British military to order 20,000 cars, and by March 1946 the factory was producing 1,000 cars a month (in Army khaki, under the name Volkswagen Type 1), which Hirst said “was the limit set by the availability of materials”.
During this period, the car reverted to its original name of Volkswagen and the town was renamed Wolfsburg. The first 1,785 Type 1s were made in 1945.
After initially building mostly Beetles for the British military, in 1947 production transitioned to purely civilian Beetles, for the first time featuring chromed bumpers, hubcaps, and body and running board trim.
Aside from some remaining military production, civilian output reached almost 9,000 units in 1947, and for 1948 total production increased to 19,244 cars. The late 1940s Beetles still had an 1131 cc engine with just 25 horsepower, but it could effortlessly maintain cruising at the car’s 60 mph top speed.
Former Opel Manager (and formerly a detractor of the Volkswagen) Heinz Nordhoff was appointed Director of the Volkswagen factory in 1949.
Under Nordhoff, production increased dramatically over the following decade, with the one-millionth car coming off the assembly line by 1955.
During this post-war period, the Beetle had superior performance in its category with a top speed of 115 km/h (71 mph) and 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) in 27.5 seconds with fuel consumption of 6.7 l/100 km (36 mpg) for the standard 25 kW (34 hp) engine.
This was far superior to the Citroën 2CV, which was aimed at a low speed/poor road rural peasant market, and the Morris Minor, designed for a market with no motorways or freeways; it was even competitive with more advanced small city cars like the Austin Mini.
The Type 1, air-cooled Beetle was last sold in the United States in the 1970s. Until that time, it had been marketed as a not cool car with a low price tag. (A Beetle in 1969 cost $1,799.)
Some of the marketing slogans used were “Live below your means,” and “It’s ugly, but it gets you there.”
Volkswagen continued producing the Type 1 until 2003, where the last model of that generation was manufactured at the same plant that the last third generation Beetle was made.
The Beetle became a worldwide hit, selling over 21.5 million over its lifetime, and was shipped to markets globally.
They even could be considered a Hollywood star after the Herbie “The Love Bug” series of movies featured a Beetle in the title role.
The original Type 1 design called for an air-cooled engine – they ranged in capacity from 1200 to 1600cc’s in single and twin port variants. Those wanting to ramp up their original Beetle can bore these out to 1900cc. That was replaced in 1997 with a new version that had a more traditional engine – these ranged from 1400 through to 3200cc.
It took until 1998 for the New Beetle to arrive. In 1999, Volkswagen sold 80,000 Beetles in the US alone. It found a generation of car buyers who were nostalgic for the 70s, but not interested in a car that ran on a 40-hp, 1.2-litre engine which had trouble hitting 60 miles per hour going up hill.
The New Beetle was an improvement over the old model in almost every way. It was quieter, has a smoother ride, vibrated less, and was much more reliable. It even had air conditioning and automatic transmission (although Volkswagen did equip some of the original Beetle and Karmann Ghia’s with a clutchless manual from 1968-1976 – feel free to ask me about mine at club events!)
In 2012, Volkswagen stopped referring to the New Beetle, simply referring to it as the Beetle again. It also made an effort to make the car more masculine and began manufacturing all Beetles at the Puebla plant and shipped them to ninety-one markets around the globe. But the Beetle could not keep up with the popularity of SUVs in the US. It couldn’t even match the popularity of the Volkswagen Golf.
Just because Volkswagen has ended the Beetle does not mean the company has stopped looking to its past for new vehicles. Two years ago, Volkswagen announced that it would be producing the I.D. Buzz which is an electric take on the classic Microbus. The new model is expected to arrive in showrooms in 2022.
Meanwhile, the Puebla plant that has produced cars for over 60 years will begin producing a new compact SUV that fits just below the Tiguan in the Volkswagen line of cars.
Scott Keogh, President and CEO of Volkswagen Group America, said in a media release: “it is not possible to imagine Volkswagen without the Beetle”, and it would be “forever cherished”.
The last Beetle ever will be on display in a Volkswagen museum in Puebla.
I have always loved Beetles. They’re such cute quirky little cars. Driving mine down the road, it never fails to turn heads, get a wave, a smile, a thumbs up, or elicit a playful punch in the arm!
Being the rarer Automatic Stickshift model I’m always getting asked questions, even at VW specific car shows.
My 1972 model is around the middle of the run. It’s amazing to think that a single model that started production not long after my grandfather was born has only just ceased production!
Truly, the end of an era.
Maneno ya Nick Bassett. Mwezi uliopita, Volkswagen Beetle ya mwisho iliondolewa kwenye mstari wa uzalishaji huko Puebla, Mexico. Baada ya miaka 8 ya uzalishaji na vizazi vitatu vya miundo, Volkswagen imestaafu Beetle yake ya iconic kwa wema. Awali ilibuniwa na Ferdinand Porsche kujibu wito wa Adolf Hitler kwa "gari la watu", au "volks wagen" kwa Kijerumani. Katika mkutano uliofanyika katika hoteli ya Kaiserhof mjini Berlin, Hitler alisisitiza kuwa gari la msingi laweza kusafirisha watu wazima wawili na watoto watatu kwa kasi ya 100kmh bila kutumia zaidi ya lita 7 za mafuta kwa kila kilomita 100 (mpg 32). Injini hiyo ilipaswa kuwa yenye nguvu vya kutosha kwa ajili ya kusafiri kwa muda mrefu kwenye barabara mpya za Ujerumani. Kila kitu kilihitaji kubuniwa ili kuhakikisha kwamba sehemu zingeweza kubadilishwa haraka na kwa bei nafuu. Injini <unk> hewa-kuyeyushwa <unk> kwa sababu si kila daktari nchi alikuwa na karakana yake mwenyewe, hivyo gari ingekuwa kuhifadhiwa nje na anti-kuyeyusha wakati huu haikuwa ya kawaida katika injini maji-kuyeyushwa. Mnamo Mei 26, 1938, Hitler aliweka jiwe la msingi la ujenzi wa kiwanda cha Volkswagen huko Fallersleben. Alitoa hotuba, ambayo aliliita gari Kraft-durch-Freude-Wagen (<unk>Uwezo Kupitia Joy Car<unk>, kawaida kifupi kwa KdF-Wagen). KdF-Wagen ilitengenezwa kwa ajili ya wanajeshi wa Nazi kutoka 1941 hadi 1944. Vita vilisimamisha uzalishaji. Kampuni hiyo ya Volkswagen ilikabidhiwa Uingereza na Marekani mwaka 1945 na kuondolewa na kusafirishwa Uingereza. "Hata hivyo, hakuna mtengenezaji wa magari wa Uingereza aliyependezwa na kiwanda hicho; ripoti rasmi ilijumuisha maneno ""Gari hilo halikidhi mahitaji ya msingi ya kiufundi ya gari la magari... ni la kupendeza kwa mnunuzi wa kawaida... kujenga gari kwa biashara itakuwa biashara isiyo ya kiuchumi kabisa.""" Hirst aliamriwa achukue madaraka ya kiwanda hicho kilichokuwa kimepigwa mabomu sana, ambacho Wamarekani walikuwa wamekimiliki. Kazi yake ya kwanza ilikuwa kuondoa bomu ambalo halikuwa limepuka ambalo lilikuwa limeanguka kupitia paa na kujiweka kati ya vipande fulani vya vifaa vya uzalishaji visivyoweza kubadilishwa; ikiwa bomu hilo lingepuka, hatima ya Beetle ingekuwa imefungwa. "Kama vile ilivyokuwa kwa Ujerumani, jeshi la Uingereza lilihitaji magari, na hivyo, mnamo Machi 1946, kiwanda hicho kilikuwa kikizalisha magari 1,000 kwa mwezi (kwa rangi ya khaki ya jeshi, chini ya jina la ""Volkswagen Tipo ya 1,"" ambayo Hirst alisema ilikuwa kikomo kilichowekwa na upatikanaji wa vifaa." Katika kipindi hiki, gari lilirudi kwa jina lake la awali la Volkswagen na mji ulibadilishwa jina kuwa Wolfsburg. Aina ya kwanza ya T1 ilitengenezwa mwaka 1945. Baada ya kuunda Beetles kwa ajili ya jeshi la Uingereza, mwaka 1947 uzalishaji ulibadilishwa kuwa Beetles za kiraia tu, kwa mara ya kwanza na bumpers chrome, hubcaps, na mwili na bodi ya kukimbia trim. Pamoja na uzalishaji wa kijeshi uliobaki, uzalishaji wa kiraia ulifikia karibu vitengo 9,000 mnamo 1947, na kwa mwaka wa 1948 uzalishaji wa jumla uliongezeka hadi magari 19,244. Katika miaka ya 1940s, Beetles bado alikuwa na injini 1131 cc na nguvu ya farasi 25, lakini inaweza kwa urahisi kudumisha cruising katika gari 60 mph kasi ya juu. Mkurugenzi wa zamani wa Opel, Heinz Nordhoff, aliteuliwa kuwa Mkurugenzi wa kiwanda cha Volkswagen mnamo 1949. Katika miaka ya 1950 hadi 1960, Nordhoff alisimamia uzalishaji wa magari ya aina ya BMW, na mwaka 1955 gari la milioni moja lilitengenezwa. Katika kipindi hiki baada ya vita, Beetle alikuwa na utendaji bora katika jamii yake na kasi ya juu ya 115 km h na 0-100 km h katika sekunde 27.5 na matumizi ya mafuta ya 6.7 l 100 km h kwa injini ya kawaida ya 25 kW. Hii ilikuwa bora zaidi kuliko Citroën 2CV, ambayo ililenga soko la wakulima wa vijijini wa kasi ya chini na barabara duni, na Morris Minor, iliyoundwa kwa soko lisilo na barabara kuu au barabara kuu; ilikuwa hata ushindani na magari madogo ya jiji kama vile Austin Mini. Aina ya kwanza ya Beetle, iliyopunguzwa kwa hewa, iliuzwa mara ya mwisho nchini Marekani katika miaka ya 1970. Kufikia wakati huo, ilikuwa imeuzwa kama gari lisilo la kupendeza lenye bei ya chini. (Mfano wa Beetle, iliyotengenezwa mwaka 1969) "Mfano wa aina hii ya gari ni ""Live below your means"" na ""It's ugly but it gets you there"" ambayo ni maneno ya kuvutia sana na ya kuvutia sana kwa watumiaji wa Volkswagen, ambao walianza kuunda aina ya kwanza ya gari la Volkswagen mnamo 2003 na kuifanya kuwa ya kwanza ya kizazi cha pili." Beetle ilizinduliwa mnamo mwaka wa 2000 na kuuzwa kwa zaidi ya milioni 21.5 na kuuzwa kwa jumla ya milioni 1. Wangeweza hata kuchukuliwa kuwa nyota wa Hollywood baada ya mfululizo wa filamu za Herbie <unk>The Love Bug<unk> kuonyesha Beetle katika jukumu la kichwa. Aina ya awali ya injini ya Type 1 ilihitaji injini ya baridi ya hewa, ambayo ilikuwa na uwezo wa 1200-1600cc katika aina moja na mbili za bandari. Kwa wale ambao wanataka kuongeza uwezo wa Beetle yao ya awali, unaweza kuifanya kuwa na uwezo wa 1900cc. Hiyo ilibadilishwa mnamo 1997 na toleo jipya ambalo lilikuwa na injini ya jadi zaidi - hizi zilitofautiana kutoka 1400 hadi 3200cc. Ilichukua hadi mwaka 1998 kwa ajili ya New Beetle kufika. Mwaka 1999, Volkswagen iliuza magari 80,000 ya Beetle nchini Marekani. Wateja wa gari la zamani walianza kuvutiwa na gari la zamani la miaka ya 70, lakini hawakuvutiwa na gari lililokuwa na injini ya 1.2 ya 40 hp, ambayo ilikuwa na shida ya kufikia kasi ya kilomita 60 kwa saa kwenda mlimani. Beetle Mpya ilikuwa uboreshaji juu ya mtindo wa zamani katika karibu kila njia. Ilikuwa yenye utulivu zaidi, ina mwendo laini zaidi, ilitikisika kidogo, na ilikuwa yenye kutegemeka zaidi. "Hata hivyo, kwa sababu ya kuwa na mashine ya hewa ya hali ya juu na kubadilisha moja kwa moja, Volkswagen ilitoa ""Beetle"" na ""Karmann"" Ghia na ""manual"" ya clutchless kutoka 1968 hadi 1976 - bila shaka kuuliza juu yangu katika matukio ya klabu." Volkswagen iliacha kutumia jina la Beetle mwaka 2012 na kuibadilisha kuwa Beetle. Kampuni hiyo ilijitahidi pia kuifanya gari hilo liwe na sura ya kiume na kuanza kutengeneza Beetles zote katika kiwanda cha Puebla na kuzipeleka katika masoko 91 ulimwenguni. Lakini Beetle hakuweza kushikilia up na umaarufu wa SUVs katika Marekani. Haingeweza hata kulinganishwa na umaarufu wa Volkswagen Golf. Volkswagen imekataa kutengeneza Beetle, lakini haimaanishi kwamba imeacha kutafuta magari mapya. Miaka miwili iliyopita, Volkswagen ilitangaza kwamba itazalisha I.D. Buzz ambayo ni kuchukua umeme juu ya Microbus classic. Mfano huu mpya unatarajiwa kuwasili katika showrooms mnamo 2022. Kiwanda cha Puebla, ambacho kimekuwa kikizalisha magari kwa zaidi ya miaka 60, kitatengeneza gari jipya la aina ya SUV ambalo litakuwa chini ya Tiguan katika mstari wa magari ya Volkswagen. Scott Keogh, Rais na Mkurugenzi Mtendaji wa Volkswagen Group America, alisema katika taarifa ya vyombo vya habari: "Haiwezekani kufikiria Volkswagen bila Beetle", na itakuwa "kwa milele cherished". Gari la mwisho la Beetle litaonyeshwa katika jumba la makumbusho la Volkswagen huko Puebla. Sikuzote nimependa Beetles. Wao ni kama cute quirky magari madogo. Anapoendesha gari langu barabarani, sikuzote yeye hurejelea watu, huwapungia mkono, hutabasamu, huinua kidole gumba, au huwapiga makofi kwenye mkono! Kuwa nadra Automatic Stickshift mfano mimi daima kupata kuuliza maswali, hata katika maonyesho maalum ya gari VW. Mfano wangu wa 1972 ni karibu na katikati ya kukimbia. Ni ajabu kufikiria kwamba mtindo mmoja tu ambao ulianza kutengenezwa muda mfupi baada ya babu yangu kuzaliwa umekoma kutengenezwa hivi karibuni tu! Kwa kweli, mwisho wa enzi moja.