Growing up in the olden days was the best thing that happened to us car enthusiasts. Why? Because we actually got to enjoy the good old days when cars were made with engines and as little electronics as possible.
This writer remembers the days when he used to sit with his grandpa and watch him work on his 1960s Volkswagen Beetle. What a beauty it was. Then we got to witness the bug on-screen known as ‘Herbie’. So, it’s safe to say that the rear-engine bug had its golden days.
Later on, Volkswagen introduced the ‘New Beetle’ which was a more modernised model but still kept the original Beetle design language. Unlike the previous models, this one had its engine in the front. Overall, it felt like a failed attempt in recreating what was already perfect.
Over the years, the Volkswagen Beetle represented many different things to many different people. It was a classic example of German ingenuity, a symbol of the counterculture movement, and a reminder that the simplest of things can sometimes be the best. It was truly a car for the people, compact, economical, reliable and durable.
The Beetle was a boom car for affordable transportation in Europe and elsewhere and, by 1952, it was sold in 46 countries. Eventually, it would be built in 14 countries, including Malaysia, and more than 21.5 million were sold before the final, modern-generation Beetle left the line at the factory in Mexico in 2019.
When the original Beetle was produced in the 1940s, who would have imagined that it would remain in the same form until 2003?
The original Beetle retained its form for many decades, becoming a familiar shape on roads all over the world. Its attributes which kept it in demand were not easily replicated and so it continued n production even after the Golf arrived as a successor in 1974.
Although it may seem that Volkswagen did not consider redesigning the original car, starting in the early 1950s, it had design proposals from time to time. There were more than 70 potential replacements, but none seemed able to match what the Volkswagen represented. Here are some of the proposals that never made it to production.
1955/56 EA47-12: Number 12 of 15 prototypes produced between 1953 and the end of 1956, the EA-47-12 was the carmaker’s first attempt at creating a more modern successor. It was the first of many Beetle replacements designed by Italian automobile designer Ghia, which is probably why it looked like the Karmann Ghia. The car was powered by a 1192 cc 4-cylinder boxer air-cooled engine with a power output of 30 bhp. In addition, it boasted a transverse link front axle, torsion bar rear suspension, and fully synchronized gearbox—unique technology for the time. The top speed was said to be 80 km/h.
1955 EA48: In 1953, Volkswagen began toying with the idea of developing a car positioned below the Beetle in terms of size, performance, and price. The result was this boxy car. Some call it the first ‘City Car’, an accolade bestowed upon the British Mini because the EA48 never went into production. The EA48 was also the first prototype designed in-house without any input from Porsche. None of the components from the Beetle were carried over to the EA48; instead, engineers decided to start from scratch. The front-wheel drive car used unibody construction, a front-mounted 700 cc air-cooled, flat-twin 18 bhp engine, and a MacPherson-type front suspension.
1960 EA97: It is believed that the EA97 project was abandoned while workers were preparing its assembly line, and after 200 pilot cars had been assembled by hand. The development of this rear-engine 2-door model began in 1957. It featured a more pontoon-shaped body and a 1.1-litre engine. What was the problem? “It was positioned too close to the Beetle and the Type 3,” according to the AutoMuseum Volkswagen website.
1961 Type 3 Cabriolet: The Type 3 released in 1961 gave motorists a more upmarket alternative to the Beetle. This Cabriolet prototype featured a folding top and a glass rear window. Sadly, it was shelved out of fear the model would create internal competition with the Karmann Ghia convertible.
1966 EA142: While developing the Type 4, which made its debut in 1968, Volkswagen experimented with various bodystyles, including this elegant EA 142. The rear engine hatchback used the same 1.7-litre engine that would appear in the production version of the Type 4.
1969 EA276: This was the inspiration for the original Golf. The front-wheel drive hatchback was boxier than many of the other Beetle replacements. Though this car had the same air-cooled flat-4 engine as the Beetle, the powerplant was changed to a 4-cylinder, water-cooled inline engine before installed in the Golf 1974.
1969 EA266: One of the more innovative replacement candidates was the EA266. It was developed with assistance from Porsche and a team led by Ferdinand Piech, the grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, who would later become Chairman of the Volkswagen group in 1993. The mid-engine hatchback had a water-cooled 4-cylinder 1.6-litre engine mounted under the rear seat in a longitudinal configuration with the transaxle directly behind it to save space. Despite the sporty design and Porsche DNA, the EA266 never made it to showrooms and can only be seen in the museum today.
Vaccination does not make you immune to COVID-19 infection. You can still get infected and you may not show symptoms but spread the coronavirus to others. Do not stop taking protective measures such as wearing a facemask, washing hands frequently and social distancing.
‘CKD’ is something which car-buyers may read about and some may wonder what it means. The initials stand for ‘Complete Knocked Down’ and refer to the way a vehicle is shipped to Malaysia. If it comes in a completed form, ready to be driven, then it is referred to as ‘Completely Built Up’ or ‘CBU’. If it comes in a disassembled form with many parts in boxes, and the parts are then assembled to form the vehicle, then it is a CKD model.
The concept of CKD began many decades ago when manufacturers wanted to be able to produce more vehicles for a market. Sometimes shipping vehicles in CBU form was not practical or feasible, or restrictive regulations made it difficult to sell CBU models. So vehicles were sent in parts in a box – like a Tamiya model – which could then be assembled in another country. The investment was lower than to build a factory and governments also liked it because there would be employment and transfer of technology.
Workers packing parts for the Beetle in 1955. More vehicles can be sent in CKD form than CBU form.
Assembly in Malaysia started in 1960s
In fact, in the mid-1960s, the Malaysian government decided to encourage the assembly of vehicles locally as a means to industrialize and also create more jobs, as well as benefit from transfer of technology. While it would have wished that factories could be built, the market size was too small, so the first step was an assembly plant and as an incentive, the tax rates for models assembled in Malaysia would be lower than for CBU models.
A number of manufacturers responded positively, especially as Malaysia then was a very good place for a carmaker to carry out such activities. It was developing rapidly, had a stable economy and society and the workforce was also well educated. Additionally, more vehicles can be sent in CKD than CBU form.
CKD packs are put into containers and then shipped by land, air, sea or rail to countries around the world.
The first assembly plants were opened in the second half of the 1960s, mostly situated in Shah Alam. Selangor. Carmakers in Europe, Japan and Australia began sending over CKD packs for their models to be assembled locally. To encourage the development of a local auto industry, the government also specified a list of parts which should be sourced locally. These were things like paint, windscreen glass, tyres, batteries and wire harnesses.
Volkswagen was one of the early carmakers to assemble its cars in Malaysia, starting with the Beetle. In fact, the German company had been exporting the Beetle in CKD form since 1950. In Malaysia, the packs which arrived in Port Klang were sent to the Assembly Services plant in Shah Alam. This plant was huge in its early days and assembled a variety of models from different brands as well as large commercial vehicles. With a CKD operation in place, Malaysia was added to Volkswagen global production network.
The CKD packs are usually wooden boxes and contain a number of parts, big and small, which are then transferred to the assembly line within the HICOM Automotive Manufacturers complex.
How the process works
The CKD process is slightly different from the CBU one which is pretty much just ordering whole vehicles with the required specifications. With CKD, thousands of parts must be collected and in the case of Volkswagen, the coordination is done at Wolfsburg, its home city in Germany. Orders received from all over the world are processed centrally in Wolfsburg and a supply management team ensures that the parts required are available from the different European plants and suppliers.
The source for the type of item will be different; body panels and engines, for example, may come from Volkswagen’s own factories but parts like instrument panels and seats might be from suppliers. The parts used to be packed in the boxes manually, but high-tech systems are now used. The parts are bundled and packaged at one of the 8 distribution centres, loaded into containers and shipped by sea, rail or air to the different countries.
These 8 centres handle a total of about 1.7 million cubic metres of goods every year, corresponding to about 25,000 overseas containers. From the receipt of an order, it takes about 8 weeks before the CKD packs for a vehicle is delivered in the destination country. All in all, about 90 different vehicle projects of overseas plants are supplied via CKD from Europe.
Today, Volkswagen has 27 assembly locations in 10 countries. The largest CKD assembly plant is located in South Africa and it not only serves that market but some of its output is also exported to other countries. So it is also a production hub for certain models.
A Volkswagen Polo being assembled at the plant in Pekan, Pahang.
Quality assured even with local assembly
There are also plants located in the USA, China, Brazil, Argentina, India, Malaysia and Indonesia. In some cases, the assembly may be carried out by a local business partner. In Malaysia, Volkswagen works with HICOM Automotive Manufacturers which has a manufacturing complex in Pekan, Pahang. Of course, quality is assured as Volkswagen personnel are also present to assist and conduct inspections on every vehicle.
“We used to need only one or two faxes per week for coordination with the overseas plants. Nowadays, we work with our production plants on a real-time basis and manage about 9,000 part numbers for worldwide shipment. The tasks of our employees have changed fundamentally – they are no longer simply box-packers but are now logistics data experts,” noted Burkhard Husken, Head of CKD of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand.
You’ve probably seen the beloved Volkswagen Beetle in many different forms. Imaginative creators converted the original bulbous shape into something more unique and head-turning, funny or outrageous.
In Mexico, Rafael Esparza-Prieto created the Wedding Beetle, an enchanting white, wrought iron-bodied coachbuilt car from the 1960s. The talented welder and blacksmith in Mexico City was reportedly working at a local parts shop in 1968 when his boss asked him to create a one-of-a-kind Beetle shell to display and attract new customers.
Using the Beetle as the basis, Esparza-Prieto built the skeleton of the vehicle out of white wrought iron and artistically filled in the gaps with unique floral patterns and decorative swirls. The auto store owner was so impressed with his work that he displayed the finished product on a rotating platform outside his business, where it quickly drew attention.
Even the Volkswagen executives at the newly-built Puebla plant just down the road (where new Beetles were being made daily) came to look. Impressed, Volkswagen commissioned Esparza-Prieto to make two more Wedding Beetle pieces ahead of the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City — and these were drivable.
The wire shell left the vehicle’s simple, yet sophisticated, mechanics fully exposed so anyone – the driver, passengers and even other vehicles on the street – could see under its ‘skin’.
Athletes, artisans and auto enthusiasts from around the world admired the car. As it gained popularity at the Games, Volkswagen commissioned Esparza-Prieto to build an additional 20+ units in a similar fashion to display at different dealerships around the world. The white metal whimsical designs of the car evoked images of Cinderella’s horse-drawn carriage and the cars were loaned to happy couples as picturesque getaway cars for their special day.
After Esparza-Prieto moved to California, he built two more Wedding Beetles on his own. Along with his original creation, there are believed to be around 23 Wedding Beetles in total. Several other welders have since mimicked his work and built their own wrought iron versions of the car using different colours and patterns.
Highly sought-after by collectors, these artistic cars are often used for post-wedding photoshoots. As there is no windscreen or sheet metal to protect passengers from weather or stray pebbles, they are not suitable for everyday use (and would not be road-legal anyway). But the Wedding Beetle created by Esparza-Prieto over 50 years ago still does what it was intended to do: make people stop and stare.
In 2011, to preview the new Evoque, Land Rover also made a wire-frame model that was displayed in many countries, including Malaysia.
What happens when you give a Volkswagen Beetle R to a legendary race car driver and super pro drifter to compete in rallycross? You’d get race wins. That’s exactly what happened during the final round of the 2019 Americas Rallycross Series in the hands of Tanner Foust. (more…)
It was a sad day for all Beetle fans around the globe as it was recently announced that it’ll stop production. To bid farewell to this ultra-iconic model, Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) is paying homage with the introduction of the Volkswagen Collector’s Edition Beetle. (more…)
Calling all Beetle enthusiasts, this one is for you. Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) will be organising their very first Beetle, An Iconic Gathering. This will be the largest Beetle Gathering in Malaysia and VPCM wants to welcome each and every Beetle owner in the country to celebrate this iconic cult classic. (more…)
Eighty years. Yup, that’s how long the VW Beetle has been around. It’s one of the most iconic cars in automotive history – recognised and loved by many for its distinct shape, which really hasn’t changed much in eight decades, and rich heritage.
This year, the Beetle celebrates its 80th birthday, and Volkswagen Malaysia (VPCM) is celebrating with a nationwide dealer celebration and everyone is invited. The nationwide birthday celebration will take place on the 17th of March, Saturday at all authorized Volkswagen dealers from 11am till 5pm.
Visitors at the party will be able to test drive the Beetle Sport 1.2TSI (above & below)and enjoy fun themed activities and refreshments for the whole family. Those who take part in the test drive will also stand a chance to win a lucky draw price of a LEGO Creator Expert Volkswagen Beetle at the dealership. Check out our review of the Beetle Sport here.
The Beetle Sport is priced from RM147,888 and is available in a variety of colours that will delight owners – Bottle Green (above), Pure White, Tornado Red, Blue Silk, Dark Bronze and Habanero Orange.
The Beetle comes with paddle shifters, cruise control, 2-zone Climatronic air-conditioning system, 6.5” Composition media with touch screen display with App-Connect, leather trim “Vienna” seats with front seat lumbar support, bi-xenon headlamps and LED daytime running lights.
A 1.2-litre turbocharged TSI engine with an output of 105PS with a maximum torque of 175Nm under the hood mated to 7-speed DSG automatic transmission ensures an exhilarating ride with every drive.
Customers can enjoy a rebate of RM5,000 for a Beetle, as well as cash rebates of up to RM15,000 on other Volkswagen models. All Volkswagen models registered from the 1st of January 2018 also come with a 3-year (or 45,000km, whichever comes first) free maintenance package.
The Beetle, the most iconic and longest surviving nameplate in automotive history, will be celebrated by its fan base on the beach of Travemünde (German Baltic Sea). This year, marks the the 13th time that the Beetle Sunshine Tour has been held to date. And according to the organizers, the number of participants keeps growing each year.
Now, there are about 721 Beetles and original Beetles that are currently registered to take part, which the organizer and creator of the tour, Gabriele Kraft touts as being a new record. This year’s event is themed “Welcome to America” in celebration of how well received the various iteration of the nameplate were, including the original Beetle in the USA.
One of the highlights of this year’s celebrations, include a ‘converging rally’ where participants will drive their cars from different points to the meeting point at the Brügmanngarten festival meadow in Travemünde. A 560 PS Beetle GRC from the American GRC Rallycross series is also taking part in the rally.
Like many car events, the Beetle Sunshine Tour will be a fun-packed activity for the whole family with food, drinks and music on hand for added entertainment. Tourists, locals and fans alike are welcome to participate in the festivities and mingle with various celebrities including Karoline Schuch, Devid Striesow, Luna Schweiger and Sidney Hoffmann.
The original Beetle is beloved by many because it was a car for the people. Invisioned by Adolf Hitler as a cheap mode of transportation for the German masses, Ferdinand Porsche was tasked with building the iconic car. Several iterations and prototypes later, and the original Volkswagen was born.
Mind you, back then, the Beetle name was non-existent and the cars were referred to as the Volkswagen Type 1. In its home country of Germany, it was known as the Käfer, which is the German word for Beetle. Eventually VW, adopted this name for the car’s future marketing strategies.
However, in other parts of the world, it was known only as the Volkswagen with the exception of France, where it was referred to as the Coccinelle, which is French for ladybug. Marketing aside, the Beetle came from humble beginnings and a rather minuscule 25bhp engine.
Sporting gender neutral looks and the practicality to seat four full-sized adults, the Beetle was a hit around the world. That coupled with the fact that the air-cooled flat four engine was simple, easy to work on and quite reliable, made it the of choice for many.
In later years, the car developed a cult following and came to symbolize the care-free attitude of the 1960s. It was eventually phased out around the world due to the introduction of more stringent safety and emissions requirements as well as evolving trends. However, in countries like Mexico and Brazil, the car continued to roll off the production lines till the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Its descendants, the New Beetle and Beetle cars had very little in common with the original car apart from the design. Unlike its ancestor, the new cars are built on the Golf platform with the engine mounted in front. Despite that, many still consider them homages to the original.
