50 Years Ago Marked the Irreversible Decline of the Beetle

At the end of 1975, the Volkswagen Beetle held a paradoxical position in the global automotive landscape.

An absolute icon of the post-war era, the most produced car in history up to that point, the Beetle was nonetheless beginning an irreversible decline, overtaken by the rapid evolution of market expectations.

Launched well before World War II and truly popularized in the 1950s and 1960s, the Beetle – officially known as Volkswagen Type 1 – had established itself with a simple recipe: robust mechanics, low maintenance costs, and a design intended to last. This global success peaked on February 17, 1972, when Volkswagen announced it had produced over 15 million units, dethroning the Ford Model T.

But in the mid-1970s, the context began to change. Safety and emissions standards tightened, consumers demanded more space, comfort, and modernity, and competition intensified. Volkswagen itself was preparing for the post-Beetle era with a new generation of front-wheel-drive models, led by the Golf, launched in 1974.

An automotive legend

The production figures for 1975 illustrate this historic turning point. While the Beetle still exceeded one million units annually at the beginning of the decade, only 441,116 units were produced worldwide that year. A still substantial volume, but a significant decline, confirming that the model was no longer at the heart of the German manufacturer’s strategy.

In Europe, production was gradually coming to an end. Germany, the historical cradle of the model, was withdrawing, while manufacturing shifted to markets where demand remained strong, particularly in Latin America. Mexico and Brazil then became the new bastions of the Beetle, extending its career far beyond what many had imagined.

In 1975, the Beetle was thus no longer the car of the future, but it remained a powerful symbol: that of a universal, accessible, and durable automobile. Fifty years later, its legacy remains intact, reminding us that no model – however legendary – escapes the cycles of industrial history.

ALSO READ: 89 years ago, the Volkswagen Type 1 hit the road towards legend