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The Rise and Fall, The Rise And Fall Of The Volkswagen Beetle

The Rise And Fall Of The Volkswagen Beetle

From its dark origins in Nazi Germany

to the "Summer of Love" and the big screen,

the Volkswagen Beetle is one of the most recognizable cars

ever made.

In its 81-year run,

the quirky car sold over 23 million units

and left tread marks on 91 countries worldwide.

But in 2019, Volkswagen officially produced its last Beetle.

So, how did this tiny German car take over the world,

and has it really met its end?

The Volkswagen dates all the way back to the 1930s,

commissioned by none other than Adolf Hitler.

The Nazi dictator wanted a car

that the general public could afford.

So Hitler tapped engineer

and Nazi Party member Ferdinand Porsche.

Yes, that Porsche.

He designed the Volkswagen, or "the people's car."

Jason Torchinsky: Out of all the ideas the Nazis had,

it's the one non-terrible idea

because a cheap car for everybody

is sort of the thing that the Model T was in America

and the Mini was in the UK.

Narrator: The Volkswagen Type 1 was a two-door car

with an air-cooled engine in the back.

Production began in Wolfsburg, Germany, in 1938.

But when World War II started,

manufacturing for the general public stopped.

The only Volkswagens made at the time

were for military officials.

Hitler himself drove a convertible version.

After the war, the British took over the factory,

and within the first year, they'd produced 10,000 Beetles,

because it filled the demand for cheap and practical cars

across war-torn Europe.

Torchinsky: Plus it was good on gas,

which was still expensive

and in short supply in a lot of places.

Part of the reason it's got such a curved design

is to minimize the amount of sheet metal that it uses.

So, it was a resource-efficient design, relatively.

It took a lot of human power to build them.

But that was actually a good thing at the time

because they wanted to give people jobs.

Narrator: In 1949, Volkswagen took the Beetle

to the United States, and it was a massive success.

Unlike the big, flashy cars popular of that era,

with their chrome and fins,

the Beetle's modest size and teardrop shape stood out.

Torchinsky: If you look at it head-on,

the biggest thing you'll notice

compared to an average car of, like, say, the '50s or '60s,

is there's no big grill.

It's not intimidating in any way.

It's got big, round headlights, like big friendly eyes.

It wasn't aggressive, it wasn't trying to hurt you.

It was your pal who was your car.

Narrator: Not only was it cute, it was durable.

Announcer: At Volkswagen,

we don't worry about how our car looks;

we worry about how it works.

Torchinsky: They built the hell out of Beetles.

So many other carmakers coming into America had problems

with their cars just not being built

to take the massive scale of America.

The Beetle's engine was designed to be low-revving.

You could drive it flat-out all day

and it's not gonna kill it.

Narrator: No one better catapulted the Beetle to success

in the States than advertiser Bill Bernbach.

His revolutionary 1959 ad campaign

highlighted the Beetle's oddball features

as its strengths.

Marita Sturken: Those ads were very good

at giving the car a kind of voice.

It's as if the car is honest, the car is humble.

And it's talking to you, the consumer,

about these new values of conservation,

of thinking small and taking into account

broader kind of social issues

in even in your decision of what to purchase as a car.

Narrator: The campaign was a success.

Volkswagen sales jumped 52% in the United States

as other European imports dropped 27%.

And the misfit car was cemented

as a symbol of the counterculture.

Torchinsky: If you drove a Beetle, on some level,

you were saying, I'm not taken in

by all the excesses of capitalism, or whatever.

So, it made sense that the hippies would gravitate to it.

Narrator: The Beetle was perfect for hippies.

It was the exact opposite of the cars their parents liked.

Plus, it was easy to maintain,

and it could last on those long California road trips.

Scott Keough: America was changing from

what did the government tell me,

what is the truth, what do I believe in as a person.

And the Beetle just threw a dart right into that place,

and (snaps) magic.

Narrator: Not to mention it was cheap.

A new Volkswagen Beetle in 1967 came in at $1,600,

about 12 grand in today's money.

A Ford Mustang would've cost you about $2,700,

or about $20,600 today.

Keough: It was an honest, straightforward proposal.

It had a great price.

It didn't over-promise anything.

It promised exactly what it was capable of doing,

and that's why it caught on.

Narrator: And then Hollywood stepped in,

introducing Herbie the Love Bug in 1968.

Announcer: A mind of his own makes Herbie

the sole Bug of the love generation.

Narrator: The anthropomorphic Beetle with a big personality

would go on to star in five movie spin-offs.

That same year, VW Beetle sales in the US

hit an all-time peak with 423,000 cars sold.

By 1972, the 15 millionth Beetle

rolled off the manufacturing line,

breaking the Ford Model T's 40-year standing record

for the best-selling car in the world.

But soon, the road turned bumpy for the Beetle in America.

In the 1980s, the car couldn't keep up with competition

from newly introduced Japanese vehicles.

But as sales slipped in the US,

the VW Beetle found success abroad.

Torchinsky: So, in America, it was pretty much dead,

you know, for new cars by, like, the '80s.

But then in Mexico and Brazil and South Africa

and other countries, it was still going strong.

So every time you thought the Beetle was dead somewhere,

it would pop up somewhere else

and just kind of keep on going.

Narrator: But VW wasn't ready

to give up on America just yet.

In 1998, VW did what they'd never done before.

They introduced a completely new Beetle model.

It was called the New Beetle,

but technically it more closely resembled the VW Golf.

Torchinsky: It was a sort of a return

to fun in consumer design

when things had been kind of beige and rectilinear

and straightforward for so long.

It definitely made people give a damn

about Volkswagen again.

Narrator: With fuzzy steering wheels and candy colors,

the car was a nostalgic throwback.

And it worked. Kind of.

Keough: When you bring it back now, 30, 40-ish years later,

obviously, a lot of competition.

We were getting 100,000 units versus getting, you know,

400,000, 450,000 units back in the '60s.

So, clearly, the market had changed,

but it was the right call because honestly

it put a shot in the arm for the entire brand.

Narrator: And then, in 2015, Dieselgate happened.

The scandal revealed Volkswagen

had cheated on emission tests on their diesel models,

including the Beetle.

The company paid over $30 billion

to settle the case in 2018.

Keough: Did it have an impact?

Absolutely.

And the reason it impact is we broke the trust.

And if you look at what the singular thing

the Beetle was so fantastic at: trust.

It took millions and millions of families to school

across America, to Woodstock, on and on.

And the fact that this fiasco broke that trust

is absolutely the most unsettling thing.

Narrator: And the Beetle's final lap was not far behind.

By 2018, the Beetle made up just 4% of VW sales.

Even with a worldwide fandom and iconic status,

the Beetle just wasn't selling new units anymore.

In 2018, Volkswagen announced

it was ending production of its storied car.

Keough: Why the decision is made to, you know,

say bye-bye Beetle and to end the Beetle

is frankly the market has changed dramatically.

Small cars struggle.

It's an SUV marketplace.

Narrator: The final 2019 Beetle rolled off the line

in Puebla, Mexico, in July 2019.

After eight decades, worldwide success,

and arguably legendary status,

has the Volkswagen Beetle really hit the end of the road?

Torchinsky: I don't really buy it.

I kind of believe we're going to see

another version of the Beetle down the road,

and it's probably gonna be

an MEB electric Beetle at some point,

'cause they'd be crazy not to.

Why wouldn't they do it?

Keough: You know, with the Beetle, never say never.

It's not in our product portfolio.

It's not in our plans.

We're certainly gonna keep its, you know, soul alive,

as I referenced, but the MEB is a phenomenal platform.

We've shown a buggy off of that.

We've shown a bus off of that.

We've shown an SUV off of that.

Never say never.


The Rise And Fall Of The Volkswagen Beetle Der Aufstieg und Fall des Volkswagen Käfers Auge y declive del Volkswagen Escarabajo L'ascension et la chute de la coccinelle Volkswagen フォルクスワーゲン・ビートルの興亡 Powstanie i upadek Volkswagena Garbusa A ascensão e queda do Volkswagen Beetle Взлет и падение Volkswagen Beetle Volkswagen Beetle'ın Yükselişi ve Düşüşü Зліт і падіння Volkswagen Beetle 大众甲壳虫的兴衰

From its dark origins in Nazi Germany Das suas origens obscuras na Alemanha nazi

to the "Summer of Love" and the big screen, para o "verão do Amor" e para o grande ecrã,

the Volkswagen Beetle is one of the most recognizable cars

ever made.

In its 81-year run, Nos seus 81 anos de existência,

the quirky car sold over 23 million units o carro peculiar vendeu mais de 23 milhões de unidades

and left tread marks on 91 countries worldwide. e deixou marcas em 91 países em todo o mundo.

But in 2019, Volkswagen officially produced its last Beetle.

So, how did this tiny German car take over the world, Então, como é que este pequeno carro alemão conquistou o mundo,

and has it really met its end? e será que chegou mesmo ao fim?

The Volkswagen dates all the way back to the 1930s, O Volkswagen remonta aos anos 30 do século passado,

commissioned by none other than Adolf Hitler. encomendado por ninguém menos que Adolf Hitler.

The Nazi dictator wanted a car

that the general public could afford. que o público em geral possa pagar.

So Hitler tapped engineer Por isso, Hitler recorreu ao engenheiro

and Nazi Party member Ferdinand Porsche. e Ferdinand Porsche, membro do Partido Nazi.

Yes, that Porsche. Sim, esse Porsche.

He designed the Volkswagen, or "the people's car." Desenhou o Volkswagen, ou "o carro do povo".

Jason Torchinsky: Out of all the ideas the Nazis had, Jason Torchinsky: De todas as ideias que os nazis tinham,

it's the one non-terrible idea é a única ideia que não é terrível

because a cheap car for everybody

is sort of the thing that the Model T was in America

and the Mini was in the UK.

Narrator: The Volkswagen Type 1 was a two-door car

with an air-cooled engine in the back. com um motor arrefecido a ar na parte de trás.

Production began in Wolfsburg, Germany, in 1938.

But when World War II started,

manufacturing for the general public stopped.

The only Volkswagens made at the time Os únicos Volkswagens fabricados na altura

were for military officials. eram destinados a funcionários militares.

Hitler himself drove a convertible version. O próprio Hitler conduziu uma versão descapotável.

After the war, the British took over the factory,

and within the first year, they'd produced 10,000 Beetles,

because it filled the demand for cheap and practical cars

across war-torn Europe. pela Europa devastada pela guerra.

Torchinsky: Plus it was good on gas, Torchinsky: Além disso, era bom para a gasolina,

which was still expensive das war immer noch teuer

and in short supply in a lot of places. und an vielen Orten Mangelware. e em falta em muitos sítios.

Part of the reason it's got such a curved design Ein Teil des Grundes, warum es so ein geschwungenes Design hat Parte da razão pela qual tem um design tão curvo

is to minimize the amount of sheet metal that it uses. é minimizar a quantidade de chapa metálica que utiliza.

So, it was a resource-efficient design, relatively. Portanto, foi um projeto relativamente eficiente em termos de recursos.

It took a lot of human power to build them. Foi necessária muita força humana para as construir.

But that was actually a good thing at the time

because they wanted to give people jobs.

Narrator: In 1949, Volkswagen took the Beetle

to the United States, and it was a massive success.

Unlike the big, flashy cars popular of that era, Ao contrário dos carros grandes e vistosos populares nessa época,

with their chrome and fins, com os seus cromados e barbatanas,

the Beetle's modest size and teardrop shape stood out. o tamanho modesto do Carocha e a sua forma de lágrima destacavam-se.

Torchinsky: If you look at it head-on, Torchinsky: Se olharmos para o assunto de frente,

the biggest thing you'll notice

compared to an average car of, like, say, the '50s or '60s,

is there's no big grill. é que não há grande grelha.

It's not intimidating in any way. Não é intimidante de forma alguma.

It's got big, round headlights, like big friendly eyes. Tem faróis grandes e redondos, como grandes olhos amigáveis.

It wasn't aggressive, it wasn't trying to hurt you. Não foi agressivo, não estava a tentar magoá-lo.

It was your pal who was your car. Era o teu amigo que era o teu carro.

Narrator: Not only was it cute, it was durable.

Announcer: At Volkswagen,

we don't worry about how our car looks; não nos preocupamos com o aspeto do nosso carro;

we worry about how it works.

Torchinsky: They built the hell out of Beetles. Torchinsky: Eles construíam carochas.

So many other carmakers coming into America had problems Muitos outros fabricantes de automóveis que entraram na América tiveram problemas

with their cars just not being built com os seus carros a não serem construídos

to take the massive scale of America. para tomar a escala maciça da América.

The Beetle's engine was designed to be low-revving. O motor do Carocha foi concebido para ser de baixa rotação.

You could drive it flat-out all day Sie könnten den ganzen Tag mit Hochdruck fahren Podia conduzi-lo todo o dia

and it's not gonna kill it. und es wird es nicht töten. e não o vai matar.

Narrator: No one better catapulted the Beetle to success Erzähler: Niemand hat den Käfer besser zum Erfolg katapultiert Narrador: Ninguém melhor do que ele catapultou o Carocha para o sucesso

in the States than advertiser Bill Bernbach. in den Staaten als Werbetreibender Bill Bernbach. nos Estados Unidos do que o publicitário Bill Bernbach.

His revolutionary 1959 ad campaign Seine revolutionäre Werbekampagne von 1959 A sua revolucionária campanha publicitária de 1959

highlighted the Beetle's oddball features hob die merkwürdigen Eigenschaften des Käfers hervor destacou as características estranhas do Carocha

as its strengths. als seine Stärken. como os seus pontos fortes.

Marita Sturken: Those ads were very good

at giving the car a kind of voice.

It's as if the car is honest, the car is humble. Es ist, als ob das Auto ehrlich ist, das Auto ist bescheiden. É como se o carro fosse honesto, o carro fosse humilde.

And it's talking to you, the consumer, E está a falar consigo, o consumidor,

about these new values of conservation,

of thinking small and taking into account klein denken und berücksichtigen de pensar pequeno e de ter em conta

broader kind of social issues breitere Art von sozialen Fragen questões sociais de carácter mais geral

in even in your decision of what to purchase as a car. mesmo na sua decisão de compra de um automóvel.

Narrator: The campaign was a success.

Volkswagen sales jumped 52% in the United States As vendas da Volkswagen aumentaram 52% nos Estados Unidos

as other European imports dropped 27%. enquanto outras importações europeias caíram 27%.

And the misfit car was cemented Und das Außenseiterauto wurde zementiert E o carro desajustado foi cimentado

as a symbol of the counterculture. como um símbolo da contracultura.

Torchinsky: If you drove a Beetle, on some level, Torchinsky: Se conduzisse um Carocha, de certa forma,

you were saying, I'm not taken in estava a dizer, não estou a ser enganado

by all the excesses of capitalism, or whatever. por todos os excessos do capitalismo, ou o que quer que seja.

So, it made sense that the hippies would gravitate to it. Es machte also Sinn, dass die Hippies sich dafür interessieren würden. Por isso, fazia sentido que os hippies gravitassem para lá.

Narrator: The Beetle was perfect for hippies.

It was the exact opposite of the cars their parents liked.

Plus, it was easy to maintain, Além disso, era fácil de manter,

and it could last on those long California road trips. e pode durar naquelas longas viagens de carro pela Califórnia.

Scott Keough: America was changing from

what did the government tell me, o que é que o governo me disse,

what is the truth, what do I believe in as a person. qual é a verdade, em que é que eu acredito como pessoa.

And the Beetle just threw a dart right into that place, E o Carocha atirou um dardo mesmo para aquele sítio,

and (snaps) magic. und (schnappt) Magie. e (snaps) magia.

Narrator: Not to mention it was cheap. Erzähler: Ganz zu schweigen davon, dass es billig war. Narrador: Para não dizer que era barato.

A new Volkswagen Beetle in 1967 came in at $1,600,

about 12 grand in today's money. cerca de 12 mil dólares em dinheiro atual.

A Ford Mustang would've cost you about $2,700,

or about $20,600 today.

Keough: It was an honest, straightforward proposal. Keough: Foi uma proposta honesta e direta.

It had a great price.

It didn't over-promise anything. Não prometeu nada em excesso.

It promised exactly what it was capable of doing, Prometia exatamente o que era capaz de fazer,

and that's why it caught on. e é por isso que se tornou popular.

Narrator: And then Hollywood stepped in, Narrador: E depois Hollywood entrou em cena,

introducing Herbie the Love Bug in 1968.

Announcer: A mind of his own makes Herbie Anunciador: Uma mente própria faz com que o Herbie

the sole Bug of the love generation. o único Bug da geração do amor.

Narrator: The anthropomorphic Beetle with a big personality Narrador: O escaravelho antropomórfico com uma grande personalidade

would go on to star in five movie spin-offs. viria a ser a estrela de cinco filmes derivados.

That same year, VW Beetle sales in the US

hit an all-time peak with 423,000 cars sold. atingiu um máximo histórico com 423.000 automóveis vendidos.

By 1972, the 15 millionth Beetle Em 1972, o Carocha número 15 milhões

rolled off the manufacturing line, saíram da linha de fabrico,

breaking the Ford Model T's 40-year standing record batendo o recorde de 40 anos de permanência do Ford Modelo T

for the best-selling car in the world. para o automóvel mais vendido no mundo.

But soon, the road turned bumpy for the Beetle in America. Mas, em breve, o caminho tornou-se acidentado para o Carocha na América.

In the 1980s, the car couldn't keep up with competition Nos anos 80, o automóvel não conseguia acompanhar a concorrência

from newly introduced Japanese vehicles. de veículos japoneses recentemente introduzidos.

But as sales slipped in the US, Mas como as vendas caíram nos EUA,

the VW Beetle found success abroad. o VW Beetle obteve sucesso no estrangeiro.

Torchinsky: So, in America, it was pretty much dead, Torchinsky: Então, na América, estava praticamente morto,

you know, for new cars by, like, the '80s. para carros novos, tipo, nos anos 80.

But then in Mexico and Brazil and South Africa Mas depois no México, no Brasil e na África do Sul

and other countries, it was still going strong.

So every time you thought the Beetle was dead somewhere, Por isso, sempre que se pensava que o Carocha estava morto algures,

it would pop up somewhere else apareceria noutro lugar

and just kind of keep on going. e continuar a andar.

Narrator: But VW wasn't ready

to give up on America just yet.

In 1998, VW did what they'd never done before. Em 1998, a VW fez o que nunca tinha feito antes.

They introduced a completely new Beetle model.

It was called the New Beetle,

but technically it more closely resembled the VW Golf. mas, tecnicamente, assemelhava-se mais ao VW Golf.

Torchinsky: It was a sort of a return

to fun in consumer design à diversão no design de consumo

when things had been kind of beige and rectilinear quando as coisas eram um pouco beges e rectilíneas

and straightforward for so long. e direto durante tanto tempo.

It definitely made people give a damn Es hat die Leute definitiv zum Nachdenken gebracht. Sem dúvida, fez com que as pessoas se importassem

about Volkswagen again. wieder über Volkswagen.

Narrator: With fuzzy steering wheels and candy colors, Narrador: Com volantes felpudos e cores doces,

the car was a nostalgic throwback. o carro era um regresso nostálgico.

And it worked. Kind of. E funcionou. Mais ou menos.

Keough: When you bring it back now, 30, 40-ish years later, Keough: Quando o recordamos agora, 30, 40 e tal anos depois,

obviously, a lot of competition. obviamente, muita concorrência.

We were getting 100,000 units versus getting, you know, Estávamos a receber 100.000 unidades em vez de receber, sabe,

400,000, 450,000 units back in the '60s.

So, clearly, the market had changed,

but it was the right call because honestly mas foi a decisão correcta porque, honestamente

it put a shot in the arm for the entire brand. foi um impulso para toda a marca.

Narrator: And then, in 2015, Dieselgate happened. Narrador: E depois, em 2015, aconteceu o Dieselgate.

The scandal revealed Volkswagen O escândalo revelou que a Volkswagen

had cheated on emission tests on their diesel models, tinham feito batota nos testes de emissões dos seus modelos a gasóleo,

including the Beetle.

The company paid over $30 billion

to settle the case in 2018. para resolver o caso em 2018.

Keough: Did it have an impact?

Absolutely.

And the reason it impact is we broke the trust. E a razão do impacto é que quebrámos a confiança.

And if you look at what the singular thing E se olharmos para o que é o singular

the Beetle was so fantastic at: trust. o Carocha era tão fantástico: a confiança.

It took millions and millions of families to school

across America, to Woodstock, on and on. pela América, até Woodstock, e por aí fora.

And the fact that this fiasco broke that trust

is absolutely the most unsettling thing. é absolutamente a coisa mais inquietante.

Narrator: And the Beetle's final lap was not far behind. Narrador: E a última volta do Carocha não ficou muito atrás.

By 2018, the Beetle made up just 4% of VW sales. Em 2018, o Carocha representava apenas 4% das vendas da VW.

Even with a worldwide fandom and iconic status, Mesmo com um fandom mundial e um estatuto icónico,

the Beetle just wasn't selling new units anymore.

In 2018, Volkswagen announced

it was ending production of its storied car. estava a terminar a produção do seu carro histórico.

Keough: Why the decision is made to, you know, Keough: Porque é que é tomada a decisão de, sabe,

say bye-bye Beetle and to end the Beetle dizer adeus ao Carocha e acabar com o Carocha

is frankly the market has changed dramatically. é que, francamente, o mercado mudou radicalmente.

Small cars struggle. Os carros pequenos têm dificuldades.

It's an SUV marketplace. É um mercado de SUV.

Narrator: The final 2019 Beetle rolled off the line Narrador: O último Carocha de 2019 saiu da linha de produção

in Puebla, Mexico, in July 2019.

After eight decades, worldwide success, Após oito décadas, sucesso mundial,

and arguably legendary status, e, provavelmente, um estatuto lendário,

has the Volkswagen Beetle really hit the end of the road? o Volkswagen Carocha chegou mesmo ao fim da estrada?

Torchinsky: I don't really buy it. Torchinsky: Não acredito muito nisso.

I kind of believe we're going to see Acredito que vamos ver

another version of the Beetle down the road, outra versão do Carocha no futuro,

and it's probably gonna be e provavelmente vai ser

an MEB electric Beetle at some point, um Carocha elétrico MEB em algum momento,

'cause they'd be crazy not to. porque seriam loucos se não o fizessem.

Why wouldn't they do it? Porque é que não o fariam?

Keough: You know, with the Beetle, never say never.

It's not in our product portfolio. Não faz parte da nossa carteira de produtos.

It's not in our plans.

We're certainly gonna keep its, you know, soul alive, Vamos certamente manter a sua alma viva,

as I referenced, but the MEB is a phenomenal platform. como referi, mas o MEB é uma plataforma fenomenal.

We've shown a buggy off of that. Mostrámos um buggy a partir disso.

We've shown a bus off of that. Mostrámos um autocarro a partir daí.

We've shown an SUV off of that.

Never say never.