Volkswagen, the "people's car" recommended by Hitler

Highlights: Volkswagen emerged from the rubble of World War II under the patronage of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. Over time, Volkswagen transformed from “war scrap” into a global empire and one of the largest car companies in the world. The word "Volks" in German means the people, and the word "wagen" means a car, so it was called "the people's car" The first two Volkswagen cars were sold in the United States and the American market was extremely impressed with them, and more than half of the country's passenger cars became them.

Volkswagen, the German “people’s car,” is one of the largest automobile companies in the world, and an ancient and well-established brand in the world of cars, with a rich heritage of production, starting with the famous “beetle” icon and ending with its modern cars.

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Volkswagen, the German “people’s car,” ranks second among the largest car companies in the world. It is an ancient and well-established brand in the world of cars, and has a rich heritage of production, starting with the famous “beetle” icon all the way to its advanced modern cars.

the beginning

Volkswagen emerged from the rubble of World War II under the patronage of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, who dreamed of a simple car at a cheap price. The price of the first type was equivalent to 140 US dollars, and it could accommodate two adults and three children.

The idea of the car was born in 1937 in the city of Wolfsburg in northern Germany by the government, with the aim of producing cars at low prices and suitable for all people, at a time when Europe was writing its history again, and this car deserved to be a symbol of German steadfastness and creativity, and the company became one of the largest car companies in the world. the world.

It was initially run by the German Labor Front, a Nazi organization, which contracted Austrian engineer Ferdinand Porsche, the designer of the original car, to begin work on establishing a new factory in Lower Saxony in 1938.

Label

The name of the car expresses Hitler's ruling philosophy at that time, as the word "Volks" in German means the people, and the word "wagen" means a car, so it was called "the people's car."

Hitler believed that producing a car at a cheap price that any German citizen could buy was an important part of propaganda for him and his regime, so in 1938 he himself officially asked Porsche - who later founded the Porsche company - to prepare a design for the car, and on May 24 In the same year, Hitler laid the foundation stone for the factory that would produce it.

Adolf Hitler at the opening ceremony of the Volkswagen car factory on May 26, 1938 (Associated Press)

World War II

After the factory was completed in 1939, World War II broke out and the factory turned to producing military equipment and vehicles, causing it to be bombed by Allied aircraft, which almost completely destroyed it at the end of the war.

After the war ended in 1945 with the Allied victory, Britain found itself in charge of the Volkswagen factory in the city of Wolfsburg under its control.

Britain offered the factory for free to the American company Ford, but it rejected it, followed by rejection from American, French, British and Australian car companies, as they considered it worth nothing and merely “war junk” with no value.

But Britain did not give up and began rebuilding the factory and developing the famous “Beetle” car. Over time, Volkswagen transformed from “war scrap” into a global empire and one of the largest car companies in the world.

In 1949, ownership of the company was transferred to the West German government, and it became affiliated with the state of Lower Saxony, which revived it again and began to correct its conditions.

The first two Volkswagen cars were sold in the United States and the American market was extremely impressed with them, and more than half of the country's passenger cars became them.

Volkswagen emerged from the wreckage of World War II faster and stronger than before, and then began its journey towards recovery and expansion, capturing a large portion of the global automobile market, especially in the United States during the 1960s.

Spread

The company opened a new factory in 1959 near São Paulo, Brazil, marking its first step in manufacturing outside Germany, and at the beginning of the 1960s it turned into a joint-stock company.

At this time, the “Beetle” became one of the most famous and best-selling cars in the world, with sales exceeding 21 million cars, and it became a symbol of Germany, its culture, and a lifestyle for an entire generation.

Volkswagen shined and transformed from a mere company into a global automobile empire. This expansion began through the acquisition of international automobile companies such as Auto Union, which later transformed into Audi in 1965. It also purchased 75% of the shares of the Spanish company Seat in 1986, then acquired Fully finished after 4 years.

It later included 12 brands under its umbrella, and its sales during the first half of 2016 exceeded the Japanese company Toyota and the American General Motors, and occupied first place in the world, and maintained the title of the largest car manufacturer in the world from 2016 until 2019.

Creative thinking in advertising

Volkswagen's "Beetle" advertisement in 1999 caught the attention of the entire world and became a symbol of creativity and inspiration.

The advertisement did not rely on special effects or famous stars, but rather on a simple, genius idea summed up in the slogan “Think Different,” and its famous phrase was “Think Small” with a simple picture of a small Beetle car.

Behind this creative advertisement was writer Julian König, who realized that the Volkswagen Beetle is a car different from other cars on the market, as it is small, economical and practical.

The advertisement succeeded in changing people's perception of the car, and made it a symbol of smart thinking and thoughtful choice.

Tried and convicted

Volkswagen briefly rose to the top of the world's car manufacturers in terms of volume, surpassing Toyota, but in mid-2015 the company was affected after it fell into a severe crisis, when the US Environmental Protection Agency revealed major fraud in Volkswagen's diesel engines.

The company installed software in cars that manipulated the results of emissions tests, to appear as if they conformed to environmental standards.

Volkswagen later admitted to installing this software, which forced it to withdraw more than 10 million cars from global markets.

The company faced fines exceeding $4 billion in the United States alone, in addition to the trial and conviction of a number of its officials on various criminal charges. Despite the horror of the scandal, Volkswagen was able to overcome the impasse and regain people’s trust, so its sales continued to rise.

Challenges of electric cars

The company faced a decline in its global sales in 2022 by 6.8%, reaching 4.56 million cars, compared to 4.88 million in 2021.

In light of this decline, sales of electric cars ignited a spark of hope, as they witnessed a remarkable growth of 23.6%, reaching 330,000 cars in 2022, compared to 267,000 in 2021.

China recorded the largest growth in sales of electric cars from Volkswagen, at 102.9%, as 14,100 electric cars were sold in 2022, compared to 7,500 cars in 2021.

These numbers indicate an increasing trend towards electric cars around the world, so Volkswagen has invested in this technology, in an effort to keep pace with developments in the market and ensure that it remains on the throne of the automobile industry.

Source: Al Jazeera + websites