The product of automotive policy
We are in the 1930s. Germany is starting to recover from the conditions caused by the First World War, and the economy is booming. Huge investments commissioned by the German government are starting, such as mass tourism, housing construction or infrastructure initiatives, and highway construction. But what good is a highway if no one uses it? Of course, at that time it was no longer impossible to get a car, and Germany could boast several well-known manufacturers (such as Daimler-Benz, Auto Union, or BMW), but the palette was not complete here either. There was a lack of a “domestic” car that everyone could easily afford. To fill the gap, the German government announced a tender. The tender was for a cheap “people's car” made for the masses. The commission went to Ferdinand Porsche in 1934, and he got down to work. By 1938, the KdF-Wagen, the first example of the “Volkswagen Beetle”, was ready. The car was a simple, low-consumption, air-cooled, rear-engined four-seater vehicle that could reach a cruising speed of around 100 km/h on the Autobahn. According to the plan, series production would have started in 1939, in the newly built Wolfsburg factory, but the outbreak of war thwarted this, and the factory was converted to war production, and only a few KdF-Wagen were built, which were specifically intended for military use.
Post-war recovery
May 8, 1945. The Second World War ends on the European front. The world celebrates as Allied troops continue to advance into Germany and discover the abandoned and bombed factories. The city of Wolfsburg and the factory there were taken by American troops in April 1945, and later the area came under British control. British troops took control of Wolfsburg from the Americans in June and found the small, “beetle-shaped” prototype in the factory there. Notes and details about the model were found, and based on these, it quickly became clear to Major Ivan Hirst, who led the British team, why the small car was great. The major brought the small car to the management, as well as the concept that the production of such a cheap, easy-to-service, and fuel-efficient vehicle would be ideal. The reason for this was that not only would it satisfy the demand for such cars in the region, but it would also provide employment opportunities for many people. The decision was made, the project was approved, and the Beetle began production in December 45.
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