Volkswagen Beetle

Volkswagen Beetle at a glance

The Beetle began as a "people's car" project and became a symbol of post-war Germany's recovery, then a global icon of simple, affordable motoring. Volkswagen's own story is told in the history of Volkswagen, and the current range, led by the Volkswagen Golf, is in the Volkswagen catalogue.

The original Beetle (Type 1)

Origins (1934–1945)

In June 1934 Ferdinand Porsche's design office signed a contract with the German state to develop an affordable car for a family of two adults and three children, priced at no more than 1,000 Reichsmarks. Porsche had already worked on small-car projects for Zündapp (Type 12) and NSU (Type 32), and the design built on ideas then current in Central Europe; the influence of earlier concepts by Béla Barényi, Josef Ganz and Hans Ledwinka is still debated. Erwin Komenda shaped the body.

The car used a platform chassis with a central backbone, a rear-mounted, air-cooled flat-four engine that needed no antifreeze, torsion-bar suspension front and rear, and drum brakes. Prototypes followed from 1935, a pre-production series of about 30 cars was built by Daimler-Benz, and the final design and the new factory at Wolfsburg (then Fallersleben) were presented in 1938, when the car was called the KdF-Wagen. Civilian series production did not start before the war.

Production and growth (1945–1978)

Series production began on 27 December 1945 under British military administration; Major Ivan Hirst is widely credited with reviving the factory. The car was marketed simply as the Volkswagen and was only officially named Beetle in 1968. It sold strongly in Europe and in the United States, was exported to many countries and was assembled in Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Belgium, Nigeria and elsewhere. Karmann built the convertible until January 1980.

Engines grew steadily while the basic design stayed the same:

Gearboxes were a four-speed manual and, from the late 1960s, a semi-automatic version. The Super Beetle (1302) of August 1970 introduced MacPherson strut front suspension and a larger front boot; it was followed by the 1303 with a curved windscreen in 1972, which ended in July 1975.

Decline and the last Beetles (1978–2003)

By the 1970s the Beetle was outdated: it was sensitive to crosswinds, its heating was weak and its sills rusted. Volkswagen's future moved to front-wheel-drive, water-cooled cars such as the Golf. The last German-built Beetle saloon left Emden in January 1978. Production continued in Brazil, Nigeria and Mexico, where late cars had a fuel-injected 1.6 with 37 kW (50 PS) and 98 Nm. The very last Type 1 was built in Puebla on 30 July 2003, bringing total production to 21,529,464.

New Beetle (1997–2011)

Volkswagen showed the Concept 1 at the Detroit Auto Show in January 1994, and the production New Beetle followed in 1997 for the 1998 model year, built in Puebla on the platform of the fourth-generation Golf. It copied the Type 1's round wings, round lights and domed roof, but had a front-mounted, water-cooled engine and front-wheel drive. A convertible with a fabric roof followed, and a facelift in 2005 brought revised styling, interior details and engines.

Engines and chassis

Gearboxes were 5-speed manuals, 4- or 5-speed automatics and a 6-speed DSG. Petrol versions reached 100 km/h in 8.7–14.6 seconds; the TDI used about 5.1–5.5 L/100 km. The chassis had MacPherson struts at the front, a torsion-beam rear axle, disc brakes all round, ABS, stability control and four airbags including seat-mounted side airbags.

New Beetle cabin and boot

The New Beetle's high domed roof gave plenty of headroom in front, but the windscreen was far from the driver and the rear seats were cramped. The boot held 214 litres, or 769 litres with the rear seats folded, and the convertible only 198 litres. A flower vase on the dashboard became a well-known detail.

Beetle (A5, 2011–2019)

The third Beetle, which dropped the "New" from its name, was revealed on 18 April 2011 in Shanghai, New York and Berlin and built in Puebla from July 2011. It used the PQ35 platform of the Volkswagen Jetta, with a flatter, more muscular profile than the New Beetle: 12 mm lower and 88 mm wider. The Cabriolet followed at the Los Angeles show in November 2012, and an update shown at the Paris Motor Show in 2016 brought new bumpers, LED lights and a touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Engines and gearboxes

All engines were offered with a 6-speed manual or DSG dual-clutch gearbox, driving the front wheels. The 1.2 TSI uses about 5.2–5.5 L/100 km on the combined cycle.

Dimensions and interior

The dashboard has a body-coloured panel, a large central speedometer and, on sporty versions, an extra set of gauges for boost pressure, oil temperature and a stopwatch. The rear seat suits two, and the backrest splits 50/50. Special editions included the Dune (2016) with raised suspension, the Coast (2018) and the Final Edition of 2019. The last Beetle was completed in Puebla on 9 July 2019 after about 552,800 had been built.

Rivals and legacy

The Type 1 competed with small cars such as the Renault 4CV, Citroën 2CV and Fiat 500, and later with the Mini; the retro Beetles faced the modern Fiat 500 and MINI. Other models from Germany are listed among German cars. Few cars have had the Beetle's cultural impact, from the Type 2 van and the Karmann Ghia it spawned to its countless film and racing roles. More classics are listed among classic cars of the 1960s.