Download or read book The People s Car written by Bernhard Rieger and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2013-04-16 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At the Berlin Auto Show in 1938, Adolf Hitler presented the prototype for a small, oddly shaped, inexpensive family car that all good Aryans could enjoy. Decades later, that automobile—the Volkswagen Beetle—was one of the most beloved in the world. Bernhard Rieger examines culture and technology, politics and economics, and industrial design and advertising genius to reveal how a car commissioned by Hitler and designed by Ferdinand Porsche became an exceptional global commodity on a par with Coca-Cola. Beyond its quality and low cost, the Beetle’s success hinged on its uncanny ability to capture the imaginations of people across nations and cultures. In West Germany, it came to stand for the postwar “economic miracle” and helped propel Europe into the age of mass motorization. In the United States, it was embraced in the suburbs, and then prized by the hippie counterculture as an antidote to suburban conformity. As its popularity waned in the First World, the Beetle crawled across Mexico and Latin America, where it symbolized a sturdy toughness necessary to thrive amid economic instability. Drawing from a wealth of sources in multiple languages, The People’s Car presents an international cast of characters—executives and engineers, journalists and advertisers, assembly line workers and car collectors, and everyday drivers—who made the Beetle into a global icon. The Beetle’s improbable story as a failed prestige project of the Third Reich which became a world-renowned brand illuminates the multiple origins, creative adaptations, and persisting inequalities that characterized twentieth-century globalization.
Download or read book Thinking Small written by Andrea Hiott and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2012-01-17 with total page 514 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sometimes achieving big things requires the ability to think small. This simple concept was the driving force that propelled the Volkswagen Beetle to become an avatar of American-style freedom, a household brand, and a global icon. The VW Bug inspired the ad men of Madison Avenue, beguiled Woodstock Nation, and has recently been re-imagined for the hipster generation. And while today it is surely one of the most recognizable cars in the world, few of us know the compelling details of this car’s story. In Thinking Small, journalist and cultural historian Andrea Hiott retraces the improbable journey of this little car that changed the world. Andrea Hiott’s wide-ranging narrative stretches from the factory floors of Weimar Germany to the executive suites of today’s automotive innovators, showing how a succession of artists and engineers shepherded the Beetle to market through periods of privation and war, reconstruction and recovery. Henry Ford’s Model T may have revolutionized the American auto industry, but for years Europe remained a place where only the elite drove cars. That all changed with the advent of the Volkswagen, the product of a Nazi initiative to bring driving to the masses. But Hitler’s concept of “the people’s car” would soon take on new meaning. As Germany rebuilt from the rubble of World War II, a whole generation succumbed to the charms of the world’s most huggable automobile. Indeed, the story of the Volkswagen is a story about people, and Hiott introduces us to the men who believed in it, built it, and sold it: Ferdinand Porsche, the visionary Austrian automobile designer whose futuristic dream of an affordable family vehicle was fatally compromised by his patron Adolf Hitler’s monomaniacal drive toward war; Heinrich Nordhoff, the forward-thinking German industrialist whose management innovations made mass production of the Beetle a reality; and Bill Bernbach, the Jewish American advertising executive whose team of Madison Avenue mavericks dreamed up the legendary ad campaign that transformed the quintessential German compact into an outsize worldwide phenomenon. Thinking Small is the remarkable story of an automobile and an idea. Hatched in an age of darkness, the Beetle emerged into the light of a new era as a symbol of individuality and personal mobility—a triumph not of the will but of the imagination.
Download or read book Volkswagen written by Max Wagner and published by Todtri Productions. This book was released on 1998 with total page 84 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over 80 illustrations. This volume follows the amazing history of the Volkswagen Beetle, the popular bug which has become an American icon. Starting with its beginnings in pre-World War II Germany and its introduction into the United States in 1949, the story of how it came to be embraced by the American motoring public unfolds. Also featured are the distinctive Karmann Ghia, the beautiful Hebmuller cabriolet, the Microbus, and the Type III Notchback, Squareback, and Fastback models. This absorbing tale, illustrated with 88 full-color photographs, comes to its conclusion with the debut of the sleek and racy New Beetle.
Download or read book The Complete Book of Classic Volkswagens written by John Gunnell and published by Motorbooks International. This book was released on 2017-06-20 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: See the entire chronology of air-cooled Volkswagens in The Complete Book of Classic Volkswagens, a beautifully illustrated overview of one of the oldest and best-known foreign car brands in America.
Download or read book How to keep your Volkswagen alive written by John Muir and published by . This book was released on 1981 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Volkswagen Cars and Trucks written by Keith Seume and published by . This book was released on with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Getting the Bugs Out written by David Kiley and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2002-04-08 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The fascinating story of Volkswagen's raging success and near collapse in America After a wild ride of ups and downs for almost three decades, Volkswagen has regained its stature as one of America's most beloved auto makers. In Getting the Bugs Out, journalist and auto industry expert David Kiley tells the complete story of the rise, fall, and comeback of Volkswagen. Kiley traces the company's rise from Ferdinand Porsche's original design for the Beetle, through the Nazi era, and up to the Beetle's ascendancy during the flower-power 1960s. He explores the reasons for VW's downward spiral through the 1970s and 1980s, including the devastating management blunders that led to such failed efforts as the Rabbit, Dasher, Thing, and Scirocco, and equally catastrophic marketing initiatives, culminating in the notorious "Fahrfegnugen" series of ads. Finally, drawing upon his unique access to company insiders, Kiley tells the story of how Volkswagen achieved its phenomenal comeback beginning in the late 1990s through a combination of visionary management, cutting-edge product development, and brilliant marketing and advertising strategies. David Kiley (Anne Arbor, MI), the Detroit Bureau Chief at USA Today, is a journalist with fifteen years of experience, ten of which have been devoted to covering the auto industry. He has written extensively for Adweek and Brandweek magazines.
Download or read book The Value Chain of the Volkswagen Group written by Nadine Wiese and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2009-11-09 with total page 17 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seminar paper from the year 2008 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, grade: 1,0, University of the West of England, Bristol (Bristol Business School), course: Strategic Management, language: English, abstract: The Volkswagen Group – from a company providing affordable cars for the German people to a global group producing broad-range models including premium vehicles for upper-classes. The success of the today’s VW AG began in 1937 when VW was founded with the intention to provide affordable cars for the German people. After years of developing further models, acquisitions of other car manufacturers such as Audi and SEAT, and starting international operations, the Volkswagen Group has become the largest automobile manufacturer in Europe and one oft the leading car producers worldwide. Today there are almost 50 production plants in Europe, America, Asia and Africa. (Datamonitor 2008) The Volkswagen AG consists of two divisions. Next to the Financial Services Division there is the Automotive Division that develops vehicles and engines, produces and sells passenger cars, commercial vehicles, trucks, buses, vans, pick-ups and campers. Brands that are part of the VW Group include: VW, Audi, SEAT, Lamborghini, Skoda, Bentley and Bugatti. (Datamonitor 2008) Concentrating on the Automotive Division, the Volkswagen Group’s strategy is analysed by looking at its value chain. It is examined what is performed well, where strengths are that create value, and what might be improved.
Download or read book Small on Safety written by Center for Auto Safety and published by . This book was released on 1972 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Volkswagen Beetles and Buses written by Russell Hayes and published by Motorbooks. This book was released on 2020-10-06 with total page 183 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This illustrated history celebrates the 75th and 70th anniversaries of Volkswagen's two most iconic vehicles, from the first Beetles spearheaded by Ferdinand Porsche in the 1940s to the buses that became synonymous with a generation. Volkswagen is one of the most beloved brands in motoring history, thanks largely to two instantly recognizable vehicles: the Beetle (a.k.a. Bug) and the Bus. More than 23 million VW Beetles have buzzed into the world since 1945, while the VW Bus presaged the minivan by thirty-plus years. Volkswagen: Beetles and Buses examines and celebrates all aspects of the vehicles and the many cultural associations that have swirled around them for more than seven decades. The diminutive rear-engined and easily mass-produced Beetle became the most popular imported car in America during the 1960s. Its success was due to its familiar face, its wildly clever ad campaigns, and the sheer numbers produced. The equally compact yet spacious Bus (a.k.a. Kombi, Microbus, Type 2, Transporter, and simply “van”) has won millions of fans around the world with its practicality, simplicity, and design. In this beautifully illustrated and authoritatively written celebration, author Russell Hayes looks back at the vehicles while focusing on the classic air-cooled VWs that ran into the late 1970s. Along the way, readers witness the Beetle and Bus at work and at play and learn about vehicle development and growing roles in popular culture, including star appearances in films like The Love Bug, Little Miss Sunshine, Footloose, Fight Club, The Big Lebowski, and Fast Times at Ridgemont High, as well as television shows like Lost and Once Upon a Time and on the covers of the Beatles’ Abbey Road and Bob Dylan’s Freewheelin’ album. The story is brought up to date with coverage of the New Beetle and plans for the VW Buzz, a modern electric version of the iconic Microbus due in 2022. Volkswagen: Beetles and Buses deserves a place in the motoring libraries of VW owners, automotive enthusiasts, and those simply interested in pop culture. It's the ultimate illustrated history of these beloved vehicles.
Download or read book VW Beetle written by Keith Seume and published by Motorbooks International. This book was released on 1997 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The definitive illustrated history of a true world beater. Discover the full story of the amazing VW Beetle--from pre-war KdF-Wagen to today's New Beetle. The book features a color technical appendix illustrating chronologically the major design modifications made during the Beetle's lifetime. Full-color studio photography of 26 milestone models.
Download or read book The VW Beetle written by Ryan Lee Price and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2003 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The world's most popular car, Volkswagen-or "the People's Car"-has earned its place in history. The VW Beetle chronicles the development and rise to worldwide popularity of the famed "punch-buggy," invented in Germany in the 1930s. This peculiar history includes the makings of all models, engines, and body styles through 1967-and the key people responsible for its development.
Download or read book How to Rebuild Your Volkswagen Air Cooled Engine written by Tom Wilson and published by Penguin. This book was released on 1987-01-01 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Learn how to rebuild a Volkswagen air-cooled engine! This guide will teach the reader how to troubleshoot, remove, tear down, inspect, assemble, and install Bug, Bus, Karmann Ghia, Thing, Type-3, Type-4, and Porsche 914 engines. All models from 1961 on up are included.
Download or read book Transforming Automobile Assembly written by Koichi Shimokawa and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 421 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For the world's leading car-makers, the early 1990s brought radical changes. The reports published by MIT shocked management in European and American industries. Former major companies had to face consequences no one had expected. The assembly-lines were reorganized in order to achieve higher quality at lower costs. Five years after the MIT report, this book poses the question: What are the results of this revolution in work organization? Scientists and practitioners, many of them involved in earlier reports, evaluate the changes to the automotive industry in Europe and Japan. An insight into recent concepts in automation and the organization of production.
Download or read book The Complete Book of Classic Volkswagens written by John Gunnell and published by Motorbooks. This book was released on 2017-06-20 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Volkswagens are some of the most iconic and easily recognizable cars on the road, and The Complete Book of Classic Volkswagens is your definitive visual encyclopedia. The classic air-cooled Volkswagen Beetle, officially the Volkswagen Type 1, is regarded as one of the most important and well-engineered vehicles of the twentieth century. It was the most popular imported car in America in the 1960s, and before that it enjoyed a humble beginning as "the people's car" in its native Germany. The Complete Book of Classic Volkswagens encompasses the evolution of the popular Beetle as well as other variations of Volkswagen's air-cooled cars, vans, and trucks. Thoroughly illustrated, this is an invaluable reference to Volkswagen's collectible and iconic cars. The history of VW automobiles is just as colorful as the hues they were manufactured in, and this book illustrates the full story. German automakers originally sought to supply their countrymen with an automobile that was easy to mass produce. By 1938, they finalized the design for the VW "Bug"--the first rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive configured car. In its heyday, the rounded Beetle was produced at a rate of more than one million per year. Today, with more than 23 million cars built, the Beetle holds the record as the most-produced passenger car of all time. But the Beetle is only one part of The Complete Book of Classic Volkswagens. The rest--from Type 2 vans, pick-ups, and campers to the Type 113 "Super Beetle"--is included here. If you're the owner of a Volkswagen or if you just love their iconic look and you're interested in their evolution, this book deserves a place on your bookshelf.
Download or read book Small Wonder written by Walter Henry Nelson and published by . This book was released on 1967 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Volkswagen production strategies for the US market written by Oliver Gätgens and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2011-07-12 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seminar paper from the year 2009 in the subject Business economics - Offline Marketing and Online Marketing, grade: 1,7, University of Vaasa, language: English, abstract: Discussing the abillities of VW to be sucessfull in the US by either producing their or importing from other subsidies.
