Volkswagen Beetle stopped production in 2003, and now there are 06 models.

When people talk about the Beetle, they will think of many incomparable advantages at that time, such as cheapness, firmness, practicality and good maneuverability ... But the most important reason for making the Beetle a classic is its lovely design, which is deeply loved by cultures all over the world. At this point, we have seen the most stubborn side of the German public. The phrase "the whole world likes this one in Germany" is enough for the Beatles. In the 1960s, someone asked why the Beetle didn't change its appearance. The public responded with eggs with patterns on the tail of the Beetle in the advertisement and said, "Some shapes can't be improved." Exactly 15 years later, that is, 1978, when the Beetle stopped production in Germany and golf took its place, Volkswagen once again wrote in a stubborn tone in an advertisement with the theme of eggs: "We will keep it like this until the end."

In July 2003, at the last moment when the Beetle stopped production in Mexico, Volkswagen fulfilled its promise. This guy designed by Porsche at 193 1 hasn't changed his appearance for such a long time. In Mexico, the last market, when the government asked taxis to use only four-door models in the future, the Beatles chose to give up rather than change. So is Porsche's design really perfect enough to stay fashionable forever? Why does Volkswagen insist on the old-school design of the Beatles while constantly introducing golf and Passat with changing shapes from generation to generation?

New open beetle

Undeniably, compared with the first production car, the Ford Model T, Porsche's simple design has an advanced modernity (before World War II) ... and its simple and smooth appearance looks very solid, so you don't have to worry about losing a part on a bumpy country road. In fact, the beetle is also synonymous with sturdiness and practicality. However, the fashion in people's eyes always changes with the changes of social and historical environment, and the Beatles are no exception. In fact, it has undergone an important transformation from pre-war birth to post-war mass production, but we don't know if it was carried out by Porsche itself. In the chapter "Chronicle of Volkswagen" 1934~ 1938, we can see that when Porsche filmed the prototype of Volkswagen, the first thing that came to mind was not lovely eggshells or bugs, but the shadow of a helmet on the head of a German soldier. After the postwar Volkswagen factory returned to the automobile factory from an arsenal entrusted by the British occupation army, the Beetle car produced had obvious changes compared with the prototype-the front of the car was lengthened with a more exaggerated curvature, and the two headlights were separated from the middle to the top of the wheel frames on both sides, like two lovely big eyes. This change has turned it from a cold metal shell into a living cartoon toy, which fully caters to the needs of war and people's rebirth. It is this interesting shape that made the Beatles happy wherever they went during the period of the fastest economic growth in Europe and America from the Second World War to the 1970s, and people couldn't help liking it. Especially in that era of scarce resources, cheap and durable small cars with good handling performance are in short supply and people can't put it down. If we only look at the displacement, horsepower and price, the positioning of the Beetle should be class-oriented, but it is precisely because of the unrepeatable historical background at that time that its naughty shape, as a fashionable social symbol, allows people from all walks of life to find reasons to accept it, thus having a unique positioning across class boundaries.

This is a model that makes people fall in love at first sight; This is a world-renowned model for more than 60 years; This is the most personalized model in the world today; Beetle with a long history, with its simple design and simple style, has been welcomed and praised by all walks of life in continuous innovation. ...

Today, there are still millions of Beetle cars on the roads all over the world, including almost all the models of Beetle for decades. Although the number of registered Beetle cars is gradually decreasing for various reasons, it is still the most popular and favorite car in the world.

The Beatles is in China.

Although the Beetle is known as the "global car", it has been localized in 20 countries and regions, but it is a pity that it has not been made in China until now. Occasionally passing an imported beetle on the streets of Beijing will often attract people's attention for a long time because of its rarity. This beetle, known as the "national car" because of its popularity abroad, is still an unattainable high-end car in China.

1938, Volkswagen launched a further modified "38" series, and the first sturdy and distinctive Beetle rolled off the assembly line in Wolfsburg, Germany. But at that time, the Beatles were more used in the battlefield. Its air-cooled inline 4-cylinder 986 ml displacement engine can output 24 horsepower and weigh 750 kg. This sturdy and distinctive car is the originator of the Beetle car. The name "Beetle" first appeared in new york Times Magazine on1July 3, 938. Americans think this car is like "a cute little beetle". But in fact, it was not until 1968 that the name "Beetle" first appeared in the public's official advertisements. It was in the forties and fifties of last century when it really became a car generally accepted by the public.

Here you can also introduce the origin of the name "beetle". When the Beetle was born, it didn't have its own name, and it was called "1 type", "type 2" and "type 3" within the company. The beetle was first adopted in 1950. When a British beetle user and his son's classmate saw this car for the first time, they thought they had missed the beetle among the insects and called it out casually. Since then, the name Beetle has become popular.

Once a magazine from Stuttgart made a prediction: "There will be no real Beetle shuttle bus, and it is impossible." "The Beatles era was replaced by golf, but it can't be replaced. This is because the products that have been popular in the market for a long time have cultivated people of an era. What is really fashionable will not be worn away by time. People's pursuit of classics and individuality is not contradictory at all, just as the Beatles' songs still sound full of individuality today. " A senior critic thinks. When people talk about Volkswagen in Germany, they will naturally think of the Beetle cars produced by Volkswagen. This is not because it has a beautiful name in Germany, as some people think, but even in the United States, it is equally famous, which can be said to be caused by the theory of "beetle culture".

The concept interpreted by the Beatles can't be reflected in any previous car. Even if it appears in the form of a car model, it will show its connotation incisively and vividly. Its design can be traced back to World War II, and by the end of 1930s, it had been mass-produced on the production line. The Beatles have gone through 70 years since their birth. Such a length of time may have reached old age for human beings, but the Beatles seem to be more energetic because of it.

One or two reasons for the success of Beetle in the world can be found in the car itself, that is, its trademark quality: exquisite processing technology, reliable equipment and well-known reliability. In addition, it has low price and low maintenance cost, and it has certain value even if it is used for many years. Volkswagen rarely participates in price wars, but in fact, their price is not expensive for the quality of their cars. Their concept of "thinking smaller is better" has changed the American concept. All these can be said to be the foundation of its success.

The old Beetle has entered the museum, and the veritable successor of Beetle is of course Volkswagen's new Beetle. The new Beetle was unveiled at 1998 Detroit International Auto Show. The new beetle not only makes many beetle fans feel familiar, but also attracts much attention. The prototype of the new Beetle car was conceived in 1994, and was first shown to the public at the Detroit International Auto Show. It was called "Concept One". Then, in the same year, a brand-new Beetle convertible appeared in Geneva. Since its birth, the new Beetle has sold 550,000 vehicles worldwide. The concept of Beetle is not reflected in any car. It has beautiful colors and a vibrant devil figure. Although the overall shape of the new Beetle still depends on the style of half a century ago, the addition of modern design elements and modern mechanical properties will undoubtedly make it a modern model of 2 1 century, and it may be the most personalized model in the world at present. It's easy for you to fall in love at first sight. The design of the new Beetle reminds people of the style of the Beetle.

This is 5438+0 on August 26th, 2006. Several Beetle taxis are in the streets of downtown Mexico. In Mexico City with a population of180,000, Beetle taxis can be seen everywhere. Most of them are painted with green bodies and white roofs, shuttling through the streets of the city, becoming the most representative mobile landscape in the Mexican capital.

On July 2 1 day, many newly produced Beetle cars were parked in the Volkswagen factory in Puebla, Mexico, with the famous Popocatepet volcano in Mexico as the background. The Volkswagen factory in Puebla has the last Beetle car production line in the world. On July 30th, the last newly produced Volkswagen Beetle will be rolled off the assembly line here. This economical car, which swept the world after World War II, will say goodbye to people.

The Beetle's Voice "Beetle"-Mexico Volkswagen This is the last version of the Beetle car produced by the Volkswagen factory in Mexico in July 2003.

New beetle

The voice, humor, taste, feeling and image of the Beatles.

Sound-the typical sound of beetles

The generation that once led the Beatles will be filled with emotion whenever they hear this sound, which will arouse long-lasting memories.

This sound is as clear and recognizable as the appearance of beetles. From the late 1940s to the early 1980s, the indistinguishable sound of beetles could be heard in the streets of Germany. In other parts of the world, the Beetle's air-cooled gasoline engine is the main instrument of the noisy road symphony. At that time, the Beatles' voice was always the background music of a well-off life.

Therefore, in the late 1960s, the advertising company of Volkswagen launched a classic advertisement "The whole world likes this one in Germany". The Beatles has long been a German "ambassador" around the world: clear and identifiable, hard to confuse, and always lovely. It has been the most popular imported car in the United States for more than ten years. 1967 It even roamed Nauru, a small island country in the South Pacific. Humor —— Typical Humor about Beetles

Although everyone knows that the Beetle used an air-cooled engine, Volkswagen still put out a full-page advertisement in the early winter of the mid-1960s: "Please don't forget to add antifreeze to your Volkswagen". Not the rear four-cylinder engine, but the windshield glass water placed under the front spare tire. Because we know how to cool the engine with air, but we don't know how to brush the windshield with air. Has Wolfsburg studied air scrubbing the windshield? It's not mentioned in the advertising copy. But even if they did, The Beatles's contemporaries wouldn't be surprised. Because at that time, the Beatles had found a wonderful epigram in the treasure house of Germany, "The air will not freeze and the air will not boil."

When Volkswagen adopted the water-cooled engine, it was unthinkable to change the design of the Beetle. Although The Beatles's design has long been regarded as conservative and even outdated. The public played a humorous joke in the advertisement, which really got applause from the "unrepentant" Beatles fans. "In 1948, many people think we should improve", this sentence was put in the advertisement of 1965 with the early Beetle in the middle frame of the rear window. This statement is also realistic, because Volkswagen has increased the total number of beetle parts from 5008 to 5002 in more than ten years.

The classic shape of the Beatles will never change. In another advertisement in the 1960s, Volkswagen said that "some shapes can't be improved any more", and the picture showed eggs with patterns on the beetle's tail. Exactly 15 years later (it's already the age of golf), the public has extended the sad advertising language. 1978 The last Beetle produced in Germany rolled off the assembly line, and the simple "egg" theme was used again. The advertisement says "We will keep it like this until the end". Even more "stubborn" is that "2 1 10,000 beetle users around the world think this looks good."

Taste-the typical taste of beetles

What users think is good is the smell of the beetle: take a deep breath in the beetle and you will smell the heat of the machine. So the competitors of the Beetle put forward the idea of "heating without peculiar smell" when promoting their own advantages, but these competitors didn't know that it was this warm hot air that increased the charm of the Beetle. It was generated in the heat exchanger and slowly blew in through the small opening under the car door. This hot air shows the Beatles' unique personality like a good bottle of perfume.

All the Beatles' contemporaries knew that the Beatles' hot air was always mild, which was a big selling point when the Beatles began to write the history of success. It was absolutely extravagant at that time, because no other car had hot air. In winter, drivers are busy behind the steering wheel wearing thick coats and gloves, while those beetle owners need to wear a warm sweater when driving in winter.

Feeling-the typical feeling of Beetle

Beetle brings a comfortable sense of security to car owners, including the next generation. Children of the Beatles' contemporaries can stay carefree in the luggage space behind the back seat. The slow sound of the engine and Rudy Shurik's singing accompanied them to sleep.

The generation of the Beatles grew up with and among the Beatles. From the 1952 model with oval rear window to the 1957 model with more spacious interior. By the time the 1960 model was launched, they had already run from the back seat to the passenger seat (children are now forbidden to sit here).

In an advertisement in 1967, the public asked, "Why do thousands of people learn to drive with beetles every year?" Then they ask themselves, "Because Beetle is easy to drive, ask your driving school teacher, that's what his driving school does."

Manipulation-typical beetle manipulation

You can feel light and agile when driving a beetle, not because of speed, but because of good handling performance.

Lightweight steering, pedals and gear levers directly responded to the driver's instructions-this was its performance at that time. In the fifties and sixties, it was not so easy to do this at that time, that is, after the golf era in the mid-1970s. The Beetle set the standard for its class at that time-just like golf in the future.

These advantages, especially for Americans who are used to competing with heavy vehicles like spaceships. Arthur Leighton, a journalist who later became a director of Volkswagen USA, once described the beetle as "it goes in and out of traffic, and it can sneak into the parking space that others are about to become." In the snow, it roared away, and the air outlet at the rear seemed to make fun of the car that was left behind. "

As early as June 1952, June 165438+ 10, the American consumer magazine Consumer Report said, "If you feel too tired while driving, the public will refresh you." Two years later, Lawrence Brooks, the magazine's test consultant, sang a hymn for the Beatles, "... one of the few ... exciting cars, and it's really fun to drive."

1955165438+1October, Leo Donovan, a reporter from the American magazine Popular Mechanics, stared in surprise. "... this car is small in size and low in horsepower. But the demand is always in short supply, and the sales situation is hot for a while. Besides, it doesn't offer discounts or free trips to Paris. What car is so incredible? This is the public like the Beatles.

Image-A Typical Image of Beetle

Arthur Leiden wrote in his hymn "The Beetle": "No car can produce such a great social effect as the Beetle." . "This has become a part of social customs. It has its own myth, people write books and publish magazines for it, and make movies for it like a star ... There are hundreds of jokes featuring this ... and it has become a rebellion against the upper class in comics. " The Beatles were not extravagant, but they were by no means dull and pale. Before and after it, no car can give its owner an absolutely clear positioning like it-if the owner takes this positioning seriously. The Beatles's greatest status symbol is its classlessness-both materially and spiritually.

Almost 10 years later 197 1 July, the German automobile magazine "Cars, Engines and Sports" analyzed that "when almost every car can be classified according to its displacement, horsepower and price, so as to see the social status of its owners, the Beetle created an image with absolutely no class difference. Anyone can drive it without worrying about the outside world spying on their personal situation ... "

During this period, this magazine from Stuttgart also made another judgment that "there will be no real Beetle shuttle bus", which is 1969+ 1 after testing Beetle, "no one can build such a car, even Volkswagen". Less than five years later, in May, 1974, the public produced evidence to refute it. The Beatles suddenly had a successor, including all the advantages of the Beatles, without its shortcomings. The design concept of the Beatles generation was golf.

Beetle memorabilia and the global production of Volkswagen Beetle

Beatles memorabilia

From design drawings to kdf cars

193 1 year, ferdinand porsche drew the first design of Volkswagen.

1934, Hitler commissioned Porsche to design a Volkswagen with a price within 1000 imperial mark.

1935 made the first prototype car with 22.5 horsepower and 700cc.

1936122 October to122 February 6, 50,000 km road test was completed.

1937, 30 prototype vehicles have been manufactured and nearly 2.4 million kilometers of road tests have been completed.

1938, Volkswagen factory started construction in Wolfsburg, producing the Beetle, which was then called "the car of joy and power (kdf car)".

1939 kdf car made its public debut for the first time, and 270,000 Germans booked the car, but the outbreak of the war turned the Volkswagen factory into a place to produce armaments. From ruins to the engine of economic miracle

1945 Although 63% of the factory was bombed, the Beetle started production almost immediately after the war, and the British military authorities ordered 20,000 cars.

1 946 65438+1October 14 The total output of Volkswagen Beetle reached110,000 vehicles.

1947, the first batch of beetles appeared in the exhibition hall of German car dealers, and 8987 beetles were manufactured throughout the year and exported to the Netherlands for the first time.

1948, there were 1500 private users in Germany.

1949, Volkswagen launched the export of Beetle. In 1950s, the export of Beetle made a decisive contribution to the economic miracle of Germany. 654381October 8, two beetles arrived in the United States by water from Holland.

195 1 year, the total output of Volkswagen reached 250,000, and the Beetle has been exported to 29 countries.

1953, the beetle's original bagel-shaped rear window was replaced by a larger oval window, and this generation of beetles was affectionately called "small oval".

1954 The power of the Beetle was increased from 25 horsepower to 30 horsepower, and the top speed reached 1 10 km.

1 on August 5, 955, the total output of beetles reached110,000 vehicles.

1962 the fifth millionth beetle rolled off the assembly line.

From Beetle to New Beetle

1966 introduced the 44-horsepower beetle model 1500, and a year later introduced the 34-horsepower economical beetle.

The100000 beetle rolled off the assembly line.

1968, Volkswagen first called its most successful car "Beetle" in its advertisement.

1On February 7th, 972, Volkswagen Beetle broke the production record of Ford Model T with a total output of 15007034.

The last Beetle produced in Wolfsburg rolled off the production line on July 1974 1 1: 19.

1978 The last Beetle produced in Germany rolled off the assembly line in Emden factory; At the same time, overseas, the output of beetles has reached 1000 vehicles/day.

1980, the last beetle convertible with air-cooled engine left the production line of the German company Osnabruckman.

1981may 15, the 20th beetle rolled off the assembly line in Mexico.

The price of 1984 Beetle exceeded 10000 Deutsche Mark for the first time.

1985 Volkswagen stopped importing beetles from Mexico to Europe.

1998 the new beetle was born, produced in Mexico and supplied to the whole world.

In 2002, as 2 15 174 15 golf rolled off the production line, the golf output surpassed that of Beetle, ranking first in the world.

Volkswagen's new Beetle convertible produced in Mexico in 2003 went on sale in Germany.

On July 30, 2003, the last Beetle drove off the production line of Volkswagen Mexico factory.