History of Volkswagen – the 1930’s

History of Volkswagen –

The Early Years – the 1930’s

May 28^th 1937 automotive history was made with the founding of a new automobile company, the Gesellschaft zur Vorbereitung des Deutschen Volkswagens mbH, that, a little over a year later, became Volkswagenwerk GmbH. Thus began the formal story of Volkswagen.

The real history of the Volkswagen began a few years earlier, on February 11,1933. That is when Adolf Hitler, the new Chancellor of Germany made his first public speaking appearance at the Berlin Auto Show. Before a crowd of auto executives and the media Hitler revealed his plan for the “motorization” of Germany. The linchpins of this plan were construction of the first superhighway, the autobahn, and the idea of a new affordable car for everyone.

Almost simultaneously, a talented German automotive designer, Ferdinand Porsche, was designing and building a prototype of an inexpensive, odd looking, yet sleek design, rear engine, air cooled, little vehicle that could hold five people.

Two early forerunners of the Beetle were the Porsche Type 12 and the Porsche Type 32.

The Type 12 is the forefather of the VW Beetle built by Ferdinand Porsche in 1932 and three prototypes were produced.

The Type 32 was developed in 1934 and the three prototypes built already boasted almost all the typical Beetle design features. The only car still in existence can be seen in the Wolfsburg Auto-Museum.

Porsche and Hitler had meetings in 1933 and 1934, with Porsche promising to deliver proto-types within the year. Three handmade cars were delivered for testing and 30 more were built by Mercedes-Benz two years later.

Adolf Hitler took a keen interest in its design, demanding that it be made cheap and easy to repair to bring ownership within the reach of the ordinary German citizen. Hitler also introduced a state-run savings scheme to help people buy Volkswagen, however the Second World War put a stop to it’s development.

In 1938, after testing was approved building began for a new factory to manufacture the new Volkswagens. But few were produced in favour of military vehicles which included the Kubelwagen – literally, the German Jeep. These vehicles did not carry the now famous VW circle logo with the V resting inside the W; they were known as KdF, the acronym for the German slogan, kraft durch freude, which means strength through joy.

Sources: The VW Story by Marty Bernstein 2006    http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2006-05-09/the-vw-storybusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice

Volksource Ltd.    www.volksource.com

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The War Is Over, Rebuilding Begins – the 1940’s

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2014/05/31

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