Description
The Volkswagen Beetle was the brainchild of Adolf Hitler, who wanted to produce a car for the German masses (Volks-”peoples”; wagon-“car”) to be used on the network of highways “Autobahn” that he was building. In 1934, he directed auto designer Ferdinand Porsche to design a car. The design was not ready for production until 1938, and few were built until after World War II, after which over 21.5 million were produced, making it the world’s best-selling automobile, and an icon of 20th Century product design. It was popularly known as the “Bug” in English speaking countries, the Cocinelle “ladybug” in France, and the Käfer “Beetle” in Germany.