Maisto Volkswagen Beetle 1:24 Kit light blue

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The Volkswagen Beetle, officially the Volkswagen Type 1, is a small family car produced by the German company Volkswagen between 1938 and 2003. This model is among the most iconic cars in history thanks to its unmistakable shape. With a production period of 65 years, it holds the record as the longest-produced generation of a car, and with more than 21.5 million units produced, it is the best-selling car on a single platform.

The Volkswagen Beetle originated in the early 1930s. The leader of Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler, decided on the need for a people's car - a cheap, simple and mass-produced car to serve the newly built German road network, the Reichsautobahn. German engineer Ferdinand Porsche and his team began working on the design and development of the car in the early 1930s, but the basic design concept can be attributed to Béla Barényi as early as 1925, which preceded Porsche's claims by almost ten years. The result was the Volkswagen Type 1 and the birth of the Volkswagen brand. Production was originally planned for the late 1930s, but the outbreak of war in 1939 delayed it until the post-war period. The car was initially called the Volkswagen Type 1 and sold simply under the Volkswagen brand. It only received the official name "Beetle" in 1968.

In the 1960s, Volkswagen introduced the Beetle as the 1200, 1300, 1500, 1600, 1302 and 1303. During the 1960s and 1970s, it also introduced a number of larger luxury models, including the Type 3, Type 4 and the K70, to complement Beetle offer. However, none of these models achieved the same success. Rapidly changing consumer preferences in Europe towards front-wheel drive compact hatchbacks led Volkswagen to gradually move away from rear-wheel drive, beginning with the introduction of the Golf in 1974. In the late 1970s and 1980s, Japanese automakers began to dominate the market, which contributed to the decline in popularity of the Beetle.

Throughout its existence, the Beetle maintained a consistent design, but Volkswagen made more than 78,000 minor modifications. These changes were often subtle and included minor modifications to the exterior, interior, colors and lighting. More significant innovations included the introduction of new engines, models and systems that brought improved technology or greater comfort.