The need for a people's car (Volkswagen in German), its concept and its functional objectives were formulated by the leader of Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler, who wanted a cheap, simple car to be mass-produced for his country's new road network (Reichsautobahn).

The original Beetle was built for 65 years, from 1938 to July 30, 2003, and is the longest-produced vehicle in history. Shells of the last two Beetles made in Germany are preserved in wax at Volkswagens Milton Keynes parts store. The last Wolfsburg-built Beetle was in July 1974.

The Beetle was the chosen car for the 1960s Disney classic Herbie which brought it to a wide audience and in many respects, this was an early form of synergy; with the families heading to watch the film, being happily enthralled by the car on screen.

5 Fun Facts About the History of the Volkswagen Beetle

• The Beetle was designed in 1925 by a Hungarian Student.
• Most Countries Have Their Own Nickname for It.
• The Original Beetle is the Longest Produced Vehicle in History.
• The Last Beetle Ever is in a Museum.

Volkswagen Is Reliable The German automaker has a reputation for designing some of the most reliable vehicles in the market. One of the reasons to buy a Volkswagen is it is designed to last you years, and this isn't just a couple of years; it's designed for a lot longer than that.

1962 Volkswagen Beetle in Herbie: The Love Bug Arguably the most famous Beetle of all time, Herbie is a car with a mind of its own.

With its ladybug shape, smile-like hood, bugged-out eyes, and rounded fenders, the Beetle oozed personality and was instantly recognizable. The air-cooled, horizontally opposed, four-cylinder engine with its chrome-tipped dual exhausts had a unique sound, too.

New Volkswagens are named after global wind currents. “Golf” is actually the German name for the Gulf stream. The most famous Volkswagen in the world is “Herbie,” from the 1968 movie The Love Bug. Volkswagen is one of the world's largest employers, with over 600,000 employees worldwide.

1972 By 1972, the Volkswagen Beetle's production numbers knocked off the Ford Model T as the best-selling car ever (a title it has since lost to the Toyota Corolla). Officially, the Beetle was produced from 1938 to 2003 in various forms, which is hard to wrap the mind around.

1960s The first Beetles rolled off production lines in 1938. Their increasing popularity in the US in the 1960s prompted Volkswagen to build its first manufacturing plant in North America in order to meet the demand.

One of the most important is reliability because we want the car to serve us for a long time and not leave us stranded on the side of the road. For many years now, Volkswagen has received the highest ratings for reliability and there are not many vehicles that can compete with it in this segment.

The Volkswagen Beetle was first produced in 1945, but the compact 'Bug' surged in popularity decades later during the '60s and '70s.

The Volkswagen brand is one of the largest car manufacturers in the world. For more than 70 years, we have been making innovative technologies, the highest quality and attractive designs accessible to many people – with the likes of bestsellers such as the Beetle, the Golf and the all-electric ID.