Origins of Volkswagon

Origins of Volkswagon

* Volkswagon was founded by the government of Germany on May 28, 1937

* It was formed under Adolf Hitler’s National Socialist (Nazi) Party.

* It was formed as a new state-owned automobile company,

* At the time it was known as Gesellschaft zur Vorbereitung des Deutschen Volkswagens.

* It was later renamed Volkswagenwerk, or “The People’s Car Company.”

* It was operated by the German Labor Front, a Nazi Organization and originally headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany.

* Hitler’s vision was for the development and mass production of an affordable yet still speedy vehicle that could sell for less than 1,000 Reich marks (about $140 at the time).

* In 1938 he stated: “It is for the broad masses that this car has been built. Its purpose is to answer their transportation needs, and it is intended to give them joy.”

* The original design was made by the Austrian automotive engineer Ferdinand Porsche.

* World War II halted Volkswagon production, but Allies resuscitated the German auto industry by rebuilding Volkswagon

* The British had pushed production up to 10,000 vehicles, renamed the company Volkswagen, and gave the factory town the name Wolfsberg, which was taken from the name of a local castle.

* Volkswagen sales in the United States were initially slower than in other parts of the world, due to the car’s historic Nazi connections as well as its small size and unusual rounded shape.

* In 1959, the advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach launched a landmark campaign, dubbing the car the “Beetle” and spinning its diminutive size as a distinct advantage to consumers.

* Then suddenly, almost miraculously and without any advertising, VW’s started to sell; first in college towns, then in a few major metro areas. Sales jumped from 2,000 units in 1953 to 150,000 in 1959

* Over the next several years, VW became the top-selling auto import in the United States.

* Who was buying...