The Story Behind Volkswagen Success

The brand Volkswagen has been around for quite some time now and most of you must be wondering about the shape of a beetle. However, some of you might not know about the story behind the idea of Volkswagen. The person involved is one of the most notorious men who ever lived and that is Adolf Hitler.

Such gruesome.

How it all Happen

It all started when Adolf Hitler realized that only 1 out of 50 german people can afford a car in comparison with the Americans who are 1 out of 5. Dr. Ferdinand Porsche was responsible for the design of the first Volkswagen with the concept of a car for the people.

Later in 1937, a company was founded by the Nazi Trade Union called Deutsche Arbeitsfront. At that time, the first prototype car was successfully built and the car was on display at the Berlin Motor Show in 1938.

To ensure that many Germans will be able to afford the national car, Hitler introduced a new saving scheme where the buyers will only need to pay 5 Reichsmark a week to get the car.

After their savings have reached 990 Reichsmark, the buyer can obtain the car and continue with the installment for a period of 4 years. What makes it more interesting is that even the children can join in with the scheme for this purchase.

The Unfortunate Event

Things did not turn out well for the Nazi party as well as other German citizens as the world war suddenly took place. Regardless of as many as 336,668 people paying 110 million Reichsmark into this saving scheme, they were not able to fulfill the demand and only a few cars were manufactured.

To make matters worse, not even a single customer was able to get their hands on the national car.

The factory producing the cars was then manufacturing vehicles for the German army instead. Even after the war has ended, the future of Volkswagen raises a big question for many people.

The British decided to close down their factory due to its role in producing military equipment but this decision was opposed by one British officer named Major Ivan Hirst since he sees good potential in the company.

The Rise of Volkswagen

In 1945, the British ordered as many as 20,000 vehicles for use after the war. The company was given 20 million as startup money and by the end of the year, the company managed to produce 58 new cars.

But of course, for some people, that value is relatively small and the company was ordered to manufacture 1000 cars or else the factory has to be closed down.

If we were to look at the existence of Volkswagen until today, it clearly showed that Volkswagen has made its name in the automotive industry and they are considered one of the biggest car companies in the world.

Not just that but Volkswagen also owned several other branded companies known to people like Porsche, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Audi, and many more.

Just because an unfortunate event happened to them, it is of no excuse for the company to rise to its glory.

What do you think is your hardest struggle in life?

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