Since 1937 Volkswagon has been serving the common, working class citizen, a German based car company the name literally means "people's car". When first established, German cars were primarily luxury cars and the average person could not afford much for than a motorcycle. Today, the company has gone global and now provides cars including the Jetta, Passat and the Beetle.
The Beetle has a special place in American car lovers’ hearts. It is affordable, efficient and is still able to make a personality statement about the driver. It has inspired childhood games such as “slug bug” and is now decorated as cows, flowery meadows and literal translations of the name-bugs! Cars are a status symbol but in the case of the VW Bug they go beyond status exhibiting the individuality, economic and environmental state of the owner. Similarly to overly priced cars, a beetle easily attracts the attention of passers by. It is not because of it’s $200,000 price tag that makes the beetle so lovable but the nostalgia or sense of entertainment that it invokes through its historic face that seems to be smiling at you. The original model of the VW bug is now an icon used to create laid back hippie stickers, 60s references, kids movies, classic and reliable images. It has withstood the test of time in outlasting other car models and companies during economic down swings and times of intense competition in the car market. Volkswagon designers went beyond designing a car that is merely within the price range of the working class. They provide a vehicle that withstands the test of time while becoming a classic symbol in american society and creating an outlet for automobile expression.
image source: google image
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