OTD 1972: VW Became Most Produced & Popular Car Ever Made

Ace History Desk – With More Than 15 Million Made, This Iconic Car Became the World’s Most Popular on This Day in 1972

Blockbuster movies and the Beatles helped popularize Volkswagen’s uniquely shaped and affordable little car

Volkswagen Beetle No. 15,007,034 rolled off the assembly line on February 17, 1972, in a feat that made automotive history. The Beetle became the most produced—and most popular—car ever made, dethroning industry legend Henry Ford and his Model T.

The Beetle began driving on this path to success in 1933 when Nazi leader Adolf Hitler Ferdinand Porsche, the founder of the eponymous luxury car brand, created “Volkswagen,” which roughly translates from German to English as “the people’s car.” Porsche was instructed to create a small, affordable vehicle to transport two adults and three children.

This simple mandate yielded a distinctive, curved shape. The initial was to be aerodynamic and efficient. However, it quickly caught attention, turning into an icon of the German auto world even as it spread Nazi ideals of the “Volk,” Hitler’s word for ethnic Germans, and popularised one of Hitler’s signature public works programs, the autobahn system.

Initially called the “Kraft durch Freude” (“Strength Through Joy”) or “KdF” car, the vehicle was a rolling advertisement for Hitler’s campaign of the same name, which provided leisure activities for German workers financed by compulsory donations. But though some prototype KdF cars were produced, it would take until the end of World War II—and the end of the Nazi Reich—for the named “Volkswagen Series 1” car to enter mass production.

The car had a nondescript name, but its looks captured global attention. Soon after, its iconic shape began to earn it nicknames like “Beetle” and, globally, “Vocho,” “Coccinelle” and “Maggiolino.”

Production and popularity continued to increase after World War II, with the car entering the U.S. market in 1949. There, a massive focusing on its affordability and reliability—and detracting from its Nazi roots—helped attract eager buyers.

Pop culture—including the endorsement of several notable celebrities—also helped make it the most popular car in history. 1969 was a particularly important year for this campaign of mass adoption. The second-highest-grossing film in North America that year was The Love Bug, featuring a sentient VW Beetle named Herbie. This quickly turned Volkswagen’s “people’s car” into a household name in the United States.

That same year, the Beatles gave the vehicle a major, although perhaps unintentional, endorsement. Photographer Iain Macmillan captured the photo that would become the Abbey Road album cover, featuring Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr crossing the street in a single-file line. In the backgrounds is a white 🪲  parked partially on the sidewalk.

By 1972, it seemed Porsche had achieved its initial goal. The unique look of the Beetle continued to attract consumers, as did its relatively affordable price. The 1970 model had a list price of $1,839, a $15,000 in today’s dollars—a steal considering that the average new vehicle is now more than $47,000. The car’s unique look and celebrity connections attracted young, countercultural buyers, making the vehicle a perfect fit for the freewheeling 1960s and ’70s.

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