A brief Volkswagen history
It all started with the KdF (Kraft durch Freude) design, a car not for the very rich, but for the people. Before the war a savings scheme was devised, allowing the German population to stick saving stamps until they had enough for the purchase of the car. However, WWII broke out and that was that. VW technology was used throughout the war, in various guises, including the Kübelwagen, an off-road vehicle and the Schwimmwagen, the amphibious variant.
After the war production got under way again in 1946. The car was soon given the nickname of “Beetle”, “Käfer”, “Coccinelle”, “Kever” and “Bug” etc. in various languages.