On July 10, 2019, the last Beetle car was taken offline at the Puebla factory in Mexico, marking the official discontinuation of the 81 year old Beetle car.
This legendary model, designed in the 1930s, not only achieved astonishing sales of over 21.5 million units in 81 years, breaking the production record of Ford's T-shaped car, but also created one of the world's most well-known car companies - Volkswagen, making it a symbol of Germany's economic revival after World War II. Even more miraculously, the Beetle, through its unique and close relationship with its owners, allowed its brand to revive and return to the historical stage twice after its product performance was phased out by the times.
How can this uniquely designed sedan have such great appeal and vitality? We may need to find answers to the question of "what exactly is a Beetle car".In your opinion, is a Beetle car really a means of transportation? Is it the second home of car owners? Or what? The actual situation is much more complex than you think.
In the hearts of people in Germany, the birthplace of the Beetle, the Beetle car, or more precisely, Volkswagen, is a necessity in people's lives. They have to rack their brains and put in a lot of effort to save expenses in order to achieve a "high-quality life". In the United States, the Beetle has captured the core user group with its unique appearance and reliable performance, successfully becoming one of the niche symbols within the American subculture. However, it should be noted that in the United States, it is not a necessity.
The cultural differences between essential and non essential products, more precisely, directly led to the dismal sales of the Beetle in Germany during its first reproduction in 1998 and the sales spectacle in the United States, to the extent that many people had the illusion that the Beetle was a car produced in the United States.
Why is there such a big difference in the performance of the same car and product?
This article will attempt to analyze how a brand satisfies the different needs of different users through product and marketing, produces seemingly identical but actually different products, and feeds back its own brand development by examining the origin of the Beetle car, how it took root as a symbol of post World War II economic revival in Germany, how it exported to the United States, and the differences in the replication of the Beetle car.
When it comes to modern German history, it is always inseparable from Hitler and the Nazis. In fact, the Beetle originated from Hitler's concept of the people.
Origin: The Nazi "People's Car"
In the 1930s, the Nazi led development and production of a simple radio device called the People's Receiver, which was popular because it was only a quarter of the price of traditional radios. Encouraged by the Nazis, they vigorously put the production of a series of "people's products" on the agenda, and "people's cars" were one of them.
According to the plan, the People's Car should be a car that can accommodate 4-5 passengers, with a price not exceeding 1000 marks, a top speed of 50 miles per hour, and a fuel consumption of 4-5 liters per 100 kilometers. It should also be equipped with a machine gun for easy conversion into a military vehicle and direct entry into the battlefield.
Ideal is very beautiful. But no one is willing to do a loss making business.
